Lost and Found
by Petalouda85
Summary: The Queens of Darkness have been defeated and the Dark One has been permanently banished from Storybrooke. For the first time in a long time, it seems that Storybrooke will finally receive a moment of peace and a sense of normalcy but the appearance of a new face and the reappearance of a familiar one comes with the promise of more adventure and more danger.
1. Chapter 1

**I decided to restart this because I was not happy with the original version of this story. Plus, this version is much better planned out compared to the other. The first two chapters aren't much different compared to the original but chapter 3 and 4 have huge changes.**

 **I started writing this fic because I was so frustrated by the horrible story line and characterization of Hans and his brothers. I know Hans was an ass in the movie but he at least had a lot of good qualities to make up for them. In the series, he had zero positive attributes to his character besides his looks. His brothers frustrated me too because both Hans (in the scene before Love is an Open Door) and J. Lee confirm that he had a crappy childhood and his brothers were abusive. So why the hell would they follow Hans and obey his every order like they're his personal f**kboys?**

 **Just so you know, I haven't seen the second half of season 4 because I was completely underwhelmed by the pilot and didn't watch the rest. Please forgive mistakes.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 1**

Emma could hardly believe that already a year had passed since Elsa returned to Arendelle to reclaim her throne from Hans. So much had happened in Storybrooke since that day that she simply lost track of the days. Elsa had crossed her mind in more recent days along with so many questions. What was she doing? Did she defeat Hans? Had she reclaimed her throne? Did she fall in love or get married like her sister? Emma did worry for a brief moment about Elsa's powers but that worry was gone quickly with the assurance that Elsa had complete control of her powers now. Regardless, Emma couldn't help but worry sometimes.

The tiny splat of a raindrop on the front window took Emma's mind away from her friend. As the woman turned her attention to it, another drop fell, quickly followed by another and another and another until the rain storm burst free from the clouds and drenched the yellow bug.

"Weird." She mumbled as she flicked the lever for the wipers up. The body of her teenage son moved in the passenger seat and eventually turned to look at her.

"What?" Henry asked in a sleep drunk tone. Emma didn't return his gaze as she kept herself focused on the dark road, squinting her eyes slightly in an attempt to see better through the blur of rain.

"It's nothing, kid." She replied, "I just recalled the forecast for tonight being clear skies."

"Oh." Was all the boy said, shuffling once more so he sank even further into the chair. The rain became even heavier. Emma turned the lever up to its highest point but she still had trouble seeing the road properly, prompting her to slow the car down more. They turned around a corner when Henry suddenly screamed.

"STOP!" He hollered. Emma slammed on the brakes, the car skidding on the wet road. She turned the wheel sharply to the left when she noticed something odd on the road and they came to a jumpy halt several meters after. Emma couldn't even catch her breath as Henry snatched the flashlight she kept in the glove compartment and jumped out into the rain.

"Hey! Kid!" She called out after him. She dashed out of the car and followed him. "What are you doing?" She demanded but she stopped when she saw what had caused him to scream. What she thought had been a log or some animal late out at night turned out to be a person!

She crouched down beside Henry, examining the man. She had never seen him before which likely meant that he was not from Storybrooke. This immediately sent warning sirens through her head but that quickly faded when she saw that he was injured, very badly. He sported a large gash on his forehead along with a gaping injury in his stomach, one she could see was still bleeding quite heavily. She instantly pressed her fingers into his neck, feeling a weak pulse against them.

"Henry, give me a hand!" Emma hollered over the rain and the crash of thunder while she grabbed the strange man by his arms. Meanwhile, Henry had stuffed the flashlight awkwardly into his pocket and went to grab him by his legs.

Slowly, they managed to drag him to the bug and lay him down on the back row. In her hurry to cover his injury, Emma didn't even spot how strangely dressed he was, in a gray coat that almost looked like a cloak with iron gauntlets encased with gold over the sleeves. Once the injury was covered with the spare blanket, Emma raced back into the driver's seat and raced towards the hospital, regardless of the danger this stranger posed.

The rain had led up the slightest by the time they reached the hospital but it was still enough to drench someone in seconds; not that it mattered much to Emma and Henry as they were already soaked to the bone. The bug had barely come to a stop before Henry dashed out to warn the staff. Soon after, Emma went to the man and slung his arm over her shoulder to drag him into the building. She wasn't even halfway there when Dr. Whale and several nurses came running out to help.

"What happened?" Whale asked as he ushered Emma in.

"No idea. I found him like that lying on the middle of the road." Emma answered after the doctor had given some orders. She watched as the nurses brought the man to the end of the hall and then take a right. "Have you seen him before?" Whale looked in the direction in which the nurses had disappeared before shaking his head.

"No."

"This better not be another Greg and Tamara case." She mumbled, crossing her arms.

"Your thoughts are mine. Excuse me." And he walked off in the direction of the nurses. With a sigh, Emma plunked herself down on a nearby seat, not caring that she was soaking the chair. The man held a strong presence in her mind. Now that she had an opportunity to think, she realized that her fear of another case of the outside world coming to Storybrooke had been fruitless; the road she had taken had no connection to the road near the town line and they had yet to find a way to rid the border of Ingrid's spell. Rumpelstiltskin had managed to cross it but they had yet to figure out how he had done it.

"Any idea who he was?" She tore her gaze away from the floor to Henry as he took the seat beside her.

"Not a clue but I think it's safe to conclude that he didn't come from outside of Storybrooke." She examined the boy from head to toe and tapped his shoulder, "Come on, I'll drive you home." She stood up and walked to the door,

"What about you?" Henry asked as he ran to catch up.

"I'm coming back here. Even if he's not from the outside, it's my job to keep Storybrooke safe."

"He didn't seem that dangerous." He deadpanned.

"Well, looks can be deceiving. Get in." She slid down into the seat and started the car. Once Henry was dropped off safely in front of the apartment building, Emma promptly returned to the hospital. The rain had long since stopped, leaving the road shiny and littered with dozens of puddles. The tiny clock on the dash board indicated that it was nearly ten o'clock. Emma let out a yawn and returned her gaze to the road. In the distance, she saw someone walking on the road. She didn't think much of it first, thinking it was some straggler who probably had a little too much to drink and was having a hard time finding their way back to their home. But as the range of the headlights illuminated the person, Emma noticed she looked as though she had stepped through a time machine that had brought her from the middle ages. The skirt of her dress was a deep blue and decorated with intricate rosemaling that was stained by dried splotches of blood. The bodice was pure black and the sleeves and the fabric covering her throat and chest was light blue. Emma slammed on the brakes when the light revealed the individual's face. Her mouth agape, Emma stepped out, greeting the individual's gaze. In her shock, she only managed to utter one word past the tight feeling in her throat.

"Elsa?"

 **Arendelle (One year ago)**

"Arendelle." The Queen sighed as she inhaled the familiar smell of the pine forests that decorated the mountains surrounding the fjord and the city. The smile on her face was bright, though it hid a twinge of sadness from the farewell she just said. If she had been completely honest with herself, she would miss Storybrooke. Yes, it was very strange and it nothing that Arendelle had offered but it had its charm. Plus, it was where she found a dear friend and learned to finally control her magic.

Elsa looked over her shoulder but saw no door behind her, just Kristoff. She became worried when she noticed that Anna was not there but no sooner had she noticed when Anna appeared out of nowhere.

"Arendelle." The Princess piped, "Now let's go save it!" She was about to run off when Elsa stopped her.

"Not yet." She said, taking her sister's arm, "We first need to figure out what has happened since you were gone." Anna sighed but she nodded.

"Right."

"And how are you proposing we do that?" Kristoff asked, joining Anna's side, "We're all easy to recognize and Hans no doubt has told everyone we're gone."

Elsa frowned in deep thought because Kristoff was right. Hans would've said and done anything to secure and legitimize his claim to the Arendelle throne though, he would never admit that he tried to kill Kristoff and Anna; that would only make him seem more like a monster.

"Pabbie." Was what Elsa answered after he thoughts

"Then let's go." Anna said, already starting to walk in the direction of the Valley, "The sooner we find out what has happened since we left, the sooner we can defeat Hans." The other two watched for a moment but Kristoff was the only one that eventually moved for Elsa's eyes were glued on the palace far below and in the great distance. Her palace, her home, inhabited by a usurper. She would make him pay for what he did but she had already decided she wouldn't kill him. If she killed him, she would be no better than he was. Monsters take lives without hesitance and she wasn't a monster.

"Elsa?" Kristoff called. The Queen turned her gaze to the man.

"I'm coming." She replied, sparing one final glance at the palace before joining the trip to the Valley.

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	2. Chapter 2

**This is pretty much the same as the original, except one minor detail.**

 **Chapter 2**

"Emma?" Elsa gasped as she saw her friend step out of her car and stare at her. Overjoyed at the sight of her friend's face, Elsa sprinted to Emma and embraced her tightly, barely noticing the hesitant return of the embrace.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Emma demanded. Of course she was happy to see Elsa but, considering the circumstances that Elsa left Storybrooke and the difficulty surrounding the traveling between realms, she was shocked too. "You're supposed to be in Arendelle!"

"I was!" The Queen exclaimed, ending the hug but holding tightly to Emma's arms, "I confronted Hans but I don't remember anything after that!"

As the woman kept prattling about the fact she couldn't remember anything, a frown appeared on Emma's face when she noticed something different about Elsa. Upon inspection, Emma noticed her face seemed a little fuller; it was as if Elsa had aged 10 years in the span of approximately 365 days!

"What is it?" Elsa asked, noticing Emma's absentminded gaze.

"Oh, uh... nothing." She stammered, "It's just that you look 10 years older."

"What?" Elsa let go of Emma's arms to feel her face as if that would give her a clue as to how she looked now.

"You must've been hit by some kind of crazy aging spell or something." Emma tried as a possible reason for Elsa's sudden age jump. A buzz in her pocket distracted the Sheriff. She reached for the rectangular box, the screen lit with a text from Whale asking her to come to the hospital.

"Elsa, come on." Emma said as she stuffed the phone back into her pocket and paced back to the car. She didn't really need Elsa to come with her but with the sudden reappearance of the Queen and the appearance of a complete stranger, Emma's gut told her the two were connected somehow. Trusting her friend, Elsa plopped down in the passenger seat. Emma sped back to the hospital and sloppily parked the bug in a vacant spot. In sync, the two women went in and were immediately greeted by Whale. The Doctor was surprised to see the Ice Queen but didn't push the matter; he simply wanted to report that the stranger would live. His injury on his stomach was only a flesh wound but he had bled quite heavily. Apparently, he was also injured on his arm, the injury deep and another major point of blood loss for the man. The injury on his head wasn't as severe but it was bound to have had some damage on his memories.

"Any clue to who he is?" Emma pressed once he was done his procedures.

"No." He answered bluntly, "The only clue we have so far is this." He reached to the desk behind him and picked up one of the iron gauntlets the stranger had been wearing. Emma inspected it, paying specific attention to the gold embellishments. It seemed like random decorative patterns with crocuses.

"Arendelle crocuses." Elsa gasped, her fingers hesitantly but gently caressing the gold flowers, "I know this armor; it's part of my father's." She looked at the Doctor, "Where is this man?" She asked. Whoever this man was was from Arendelle. He had to be. Plus he must've known what she couldn't remember because this man had to have been close to her; she wouldn't just let anyone wear her father's armor. To answer her question, Whale pointed down the hall,

"Last door on your right." He answered. Once the last syllable left the man's mouth, Elsa sped off to the room, her heart pounding and a smile on her face. Soon this man could enlighten her on the empty void left behind by the lack of memories and then they could find the door that led back to Arendelle. She almost slammed the door open from joy but she gasped in horror at the sight of who was lying on the bed. Flawless auburn hair that was only tainted by several tiny strands of grey hair and that ungodly pointed nose was what she saw; Elsa found herself staring into the charmingly evil green eyes of Prince Hans of the Southern Isles.

 **Arendelle (One year ago)**

They had placed tables, chairs and whatever other furniture they could find to barricade the door form the returning rampage that as Elsa and Anna Losnedahl. Hans was completely baffled; he had locked Anna in a trunk with her fiancée and had thrown them to the deepest depths of Poseidon's Boneyard. There was no possibility that she could've survived that ordeal; Hans himself didn't believe it until he actually spotted her from a window. How she had survived was beyond his mind to comprehend. All he could assume was that it had to have been some magical force that saved her from a watery grave.

"Hans!" Viktor hollered while the "King" placed the final chair on the pile blocking the door. Hans silently gulped and turned to face his brothers, the three staring back with the same unloving and disgusted glare they had given him since he was 7. The three stood in a single line, their hands tucked under their belt or grazing over the hilt of their blade. Franz, the blonde and 10th brother, stepped forward.

"It seems that after all your meager attempts, Hans," The blonde seethed, drawing his sword and pointing it to his little brother, "You're still the failure we all knew you were." The shiny blade with the gold hilt lowered as the prince looked to his other three brothers. "Let's go." The three men headed for the last way of escape when a voice called out to them.

"You can't go!" Hans hollered, "I command you to stay!" Jurgen smirked at the man,

"I don't have to listen to you." He chuckled, casually taking slow steps towards Hans, "It was agreed that the deal would end once you claimed Arendelle as your own." He looked around the room, "It's yours now so we are relieved of our obligations to you." He pulled forth his sword, "Which means," And wacked the hilt hard on Hans' head, knocking him unconscious. The prince chuckled at the heap that was his brother, the other two behind him laughing, "I can finally do that." He stuck his sword back into the scabbard as he joined his brothers and exited the room, locking the door behind them while jeering about the failures of the youngest brother.

When he woke up a few minutes later, Hans found himself locked in the throne room with his enemy battering against the door and his brothers leaving through the other. He ran to the last door, his last chance of escape to find it locked. He had no way out. Sword in hand, he turned in constant circles, his eyes darting to every corner to find an escape, any escape. At last, his eye fell on his sword, knowing he only had two options left: face Elsa and Anna and be transported back to the Southern Isles to face crippling humiliation ad certain death or kill himself and save himself all the shame and humiliation. He pointed the sword at himself and was ready to plunge it into his belly when he heard a bang and felt a cold blast knocking his weapon from his hand. Upon turning to the door, his eyes fell on Elsa, her hand stretched out to him, and her sister, who stared at him with an expression that could very well be the definition of anger. She paced to him.

"You're not exactly on the throne but this will have to do." He only saw Anna wheel back her fist before he fell onto the floor once more with an excruciating pain in his eye. To his embarrassment, he let out a holler of pain. He heard Elsa's voice but was unable to hear what she said. He guessed she was talking to some loyal soldiers and he was right as he was grabbed roughly by his arms and pulled to his feet. He stared straight at Anna.

"Where are you brothers, Hans?" She jeered in a tone that actually surprised him; Anna was not known to be particularly cruel. Well, except to him but with good reason: he left her to die after all. Twice. A smirk appeared on her face when he didn't answer her, "Maybe you should ask yourself if there is someone out there who loved you." Before he could retort, he was dragged away. Part of him was grateful for that because what Anna said didn't take long for him to find an answer to.

Nobody loved him. Not his brothers, his father or his step-mother.

No one loved him.

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	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is probably my favorite one so far. The second half is completely different than the original.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 3**

"You!" The Ice Queen seethed at the man lying helplessly on the bed. Hans smirked at her.

"Hello, Your Majesty." He mocked.

"What are you doing here?" Elsa demanded. Hans chuckled lowly and shifted in his bed.

"I could ask you the same." He jeered, "Why aren't you sitting in your precious throne, ruling over your precious Arendelle?" Elsa frowned at the man and held up her hand in a threatening manner.

"You best watch your tongue, Westerguard, lest you want to have it frozen." It was enough to shut him up but his stupid smirk remained ever present on his handsome face.

"Elsa, what is it?" The Queen looked over her shoulder at her friend. She stepped away from the Prince and spoke softly,

"That is Hans." She said, eyeing the man suspiciously despite the fact that he was in no condition to harm anyone. Emma stared at him for a moment, receiving a smirk in reply, before she looked to Elsa.

"That's the creep that took your throne? What's he doing here?"

"I don't know." She placed a hand on Emma's shoulder and leaned even closer as if she was scared that Hans would hear her, "He must be up to something. Why else would he drag me here?"

"You're sure that he's the one to blame for your coming here and your memory loss?" When Elsa nodded, Emma shook her head, "That's not possible. Henry and I found him wounded on the side of the road, unconscious. There's no way."

"He's an intelligent man." Elsa warned, "He fooled my entire kingdom into thinking I was a monster and that my sister was dead."

"Well," Emma replied, fixing her leather jacket, "He won't fool me so easily." Not even waiting for Elsa to retort, Emma stepped into the room and went to the foot of Hans' bed. The man looked up at her and smiled.

"Well, well, well." He cooed, "Did her Majesty send you in to talk to the shame of the Southern Isles? Ha!" He laughed, "How pathetic she won't do the smooth talking herself."

"There'll be no smooth talking with me." Emma replied bluntly, "Care to explain what you're doing here?" Hans raised his eyebrows,

"You think that I have anything to do with her coming here?" HE pointed to the Queen, who stood by the door and eyed him suspiciously. Emma looked at Elsa,

"You're a very perceptive man." Emma commented.

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment. Now," She placed her hands on the foot, "Answer my question. What are you doing here?" Hans' face betrayed no emotion, making Elsa feel concerned and Emma uncertain. If she couldn't see any emotion, how could Emma tell if he was lying or telling the truth?

"I can assure you, my lady," Hans began, his voice oozing with the charming tone that had fooled Arendelle, "That I do not know why I'm here or how I came to be here. All I can tell you for certain is that, if I were to go anywhere, I certainly wouldn't take her with me." He pointed to Elsa once more. The Queen fumed from the man's words but instead of blasting him with her magic, which was what she wanted to do, she left the room.

Emma rolled her eyes and pointed a warning finger at the Prince, who was smirking,

"I'm not done with you yet." She threatened, hoping to elicit some reaction from him other than amusement; her attempt was unsuccessful. Emma followed Elsa, closing the door behind her so they weren't under Hans' constant stare.

"I don't believe a word of what he says." The Queen said angrily.

"I'm not so sure." Emma admitted, "I've done my fair dose of interrogating but this was different. I couldn't get anything from this guy. It's like his emotions are..." She couldn't find the word, "frozen." She blurted out, not sure if that adjective was the proper way to describe it. "I'll have to keep an eye on him." That assurance calmed Elsa down, albeit a little. If she was still in Arendelle, she would've thrown him into the dungeons, regardless of injuries, but she was in Storybrooke and she wasn't about to force her friend into doing something without her feeling 100% certain about it.

Emma pulled her phone from her pocket to check the time, yawning when she read it was nearly 11pm.

"I've had enough for one day." She announced, "Come on." The two women walked calmly down the hall to the exit. The Sheriff quickly informed Whale about Hans. Once they had the assurance of 24/7 watch on the man, they continued to the bug. They sat silently as they drove to the apartment, Emma too focused on the road while Elsa was too focused on her suspicions regarding Hans. After a relatively short drive, they arrived at the apartment. A small smile played on Elsa's face at the sight of it. That little apartment was a home away from home. It was nothing like her palace but it was cozy and heartwarming nonetheless. She wondered if David and Mary Margaret were still awake; it would be good to see them again and little Neal too.

Emma hoped that her parents would still be awake so she could get the surprise of Elsa's reappearance over with and start with the mission of finding the memories. As it turns out, her parents were about to go to bed when the two women walked through the door. There was a moment of shock shared by David and Mary at the sight of the Queen but that eventually dissipated to a genuine happiness. Henry was already asleep so the surprise wasn't over yet. Once the meet-and-greet was done, Mary and Emma made a bed for Elsa on the couch. It was not the most comfortable place to sleep but the only other option was the floor. Besides, Elsa had slept on it the first time in Storybrooke so she was remotely used to it.

Soon the apartment was dark and quiet. Elsa lay awake for a while, finally having a moment to properly think. To say she was confused was an understatement. She never imagined that she would ever return to Storybrooke, certainly not under the conditions she was in now. The last thing she could clearly remember was standing in front of the closed doors of the throne room, lifting her hand to blast through it with her magic. After that there was just a blank space.

And Anna...

She had no idea where her sister was. The princess had been right beside the Queen in the last memory but then she was gone.

Elsa took several deep breaths to calm herself and prevent her powers from triggering a snowstorm inside. She had lost Anna again but this time, there was no necklace or staff or anything to help her besides someone who was currently lying in the hospital. Hans had something to do with it, she was certain of it. Hans was intelligent enough to know that he could never defeat the two of them if they were together. Elsa could only imagine the simplicity of it all: separate her and Anna and finish them off separately. She knew that Emma had said not to jump to conclusions but Elsa saw no fraction of a chance that Hans had nothing to do with everything. As a Queen, Elsa had to be rational and look at a situation from each viewpoint and every approach but with Hans, she couldn't. He tricked her kingdom, overthrew it, tried to kill Anna and Kristoff twice, tried to kill her and later trap her in an urn, and blackmailed her into giving the magical item to him. How was there a possibility that he was innocent?

* * *

 **Arendelle**

Exactly 200 days had passed since Elsa had reclaimed her kingdom and thrown the one who usurped it into the dungeons. Life as it had been before the usurpation returned relatively quickly as Hans' influence over the people had never found a solid base in his brief reign. It was nearly all forgotten as Anna and Kristoff finally got married, the grandeur and happiness of the event wiping away the pain of the past. The only one that didn't forget was Elsa.

For reasons she could not explain, Hans tormented her mind. Ever since he had been captured, the image of his face when the guards had him in their clutches returned whenever her mind wandered. Perhaps it was because she had seen something in his face that day, something that seemed so out of character for him. She had seen sadness, a sadness of the worst form, a sadness roused by Anna's cruel comments.

 _Maybe you should ask yourself if there is someone out there who loved you_

Could that be true? Was there really no one out there who loved him? She wanted an answer. For a time, she considered going to Anna but she knew that she would only give Elsa answers of the most biased form. With the option of Anna gone, she had only one other means of getting an answer: imploring to the Southern Isles for them. She wrote a stoic letter to the king, hoping the man would be reasonable enough to respond with thorough detail.

As she waited for a reply, she swamped herself back into her duties, taking care of the issues of her kingdom in the morning and spending the evening with her sister and her spouse. Watching her sister be happy with Kristoff, Elsa couldn't help but feel a little envious. The Queen would be lying if she said she didn't want love; someone to hold her at night and whisper sweet little nothings into her ear, someone to make her feel like the sun was something made just for her, someone to dance with, to share her little secrets with, someone that would bring an indescribable happiness to her life. But Elsa knew she wasn't meant for such joys; she had known since her teenage years. She couldn't imagine someone loving every bit of her, magic and all, and thus she had resigned herself to life without it. She knew she was fully capable of living such a life but the small desire to have what Anna had with Kristoff would always be present in her mind.

The reply from the King of the Southern Isles was anything but courteous. Although the man had kept a formal and polite tone in his writing, Elsa could sense all the hostilities behind it as she read how Hans was no more than a shame to the country and deserved nothing less than to spend the rest of his life behind bars. The man hadn't answered any of her questions, simply stating that they were pointless because he had always been ambitious, cruel, and a monster. The king also stated that Hans was forbidden from returning to the Southern Isles on pain of death and that Elsa was allowed to do with the man as she pleased. Frustrated at such a pointless answer, Elsa threw the letter into the fire and gave up of her idiotic escapade to find out about Hans. Nobody would give her an answer, not even his family, so why should she continue on such a pointless quest?

With the miniature quest and Hans finally out of her mind, Elsa continued with her life as she normally did: queen in the morning, sister in the evening, and alone in the night. It was a routine that frustrated her but it was the routine she lived by. She was finally settled in it when Kai, the Royal Handler and a trusted servant of Elsa's family for decades, brought her a letter, the wax decorated with the seal of the Desrosiers family from Mensonge, a country with which Arendelle had no ties with, politically and economically. Thinking it was merely a letter with a business proposal, Elsa opened it; she was mistaken.

 _Your Majesty_ , it started, _my name is Catherine Desrosiers. You do not know who I am but you know my son: Prince Hans of the Southern Isles._

Elsa nearly spat out her tea when she read the sentence. Putting the cup down, she kept reading.

 _I understand that you have no reason to continue with this letter but I implore you to read. The crimes my son has committed against you, your family and your kingdom are unforgivable but I beg you to spare his life. His reasons behind his crimes are far more complicated than it seems, far too complicated to be written in this letter._

Elsa didn't continue as the door to her study opened and Anna came bursting in.

"Hi!" She piped happily, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl. Elsa folded the letter with a raised eyebrow.

"Since when do you eat apples?" She asked, putting a small joking tone in it. Anna took a large bite, a drop of apple juice falling from the corner of her mouth, and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know." She answered after swallowing the huge bite, "I've just been in the mood to eat them lately."

"Hm…" Elsa hummed, "You're usually in the mood to eat chocolate."

"Not right now." The room fell silent.

"Who are you and what have you done to my sister?" Elsa joked, causing the both of them to laugh. Anna strode over to Elsa and sat down on the arm of her chair, looking at the stack of papers.

"Busy doing ledgers again?"

"Among other things." Elsa sighed, looking at the letter from Catherine. Anna followed her gaze.

"What's that?" She asked, taking another large bite from her fruit.

"A business proposal from Mensonge." Elsa lied; there's was no way she was revealing the true contents to Anna. The princess looked to the letter.

"Very short letter." She commented, "They probably don't want a lot of things from us, do they?"

"Just ice and rosemaling decorated cloth." She took the letter and put it on top of the stack of papers, "They didn't seem interested in talking of other things."

"Like marriage?" Her sister asked, finishing her apple and grabbing another one before the core of the old one had even reached the bottom of the waste bin

"Exactly." Elsa sighed.

"Arranged marriage is so stupid." Anna complained as she returned to her spot on Elsa's chair, "So many royals marry for love. Why should you be left out?" Elsa smiled at her sister, placing a hand over hers.

"I don't know." She answered. "It wouldn't be so bad if Landvik wasn't always pestering me about it."

"Well, who cares what he has to say?" Anna said with a roll of her eyes.

"He is the most senior member of my council, Anna." Elsa replied, "If they expect me to heed anyone's advice and words, it's his. It's not my fault he's about to fall apart from age and has the mindset of a door handle." The two sister stared at each other for a moment before bursting out in boisterous laughter.

"Did you just compare Landvik to a door handle?" Anna choked out, holding the apple near her mouth as if she was going to take a bite but couldn't due to her laughter. Elsa coughed and took a few breaths to calm herself.

"It was the first thing that came to mind." The two chuckled for a while longer and then fell into another brief silence as Anna finished her second apple. Elsa looked to her sister with a smirk. "I know you're not here to talk about ledgers or Landvik. Just tell me what you're planning." Anna took Elsa's hand and pulled her up from the chair.

"We're going to have some fun. You've been so hard lately that you deserve a little break."

"Anna," Elsa sighed, "I really appreciate it but I still have a lot of work to do."

"Get Landvik to do them." Anna said in an unusually stern voice. She began pulling the queen to the door, "We are going to have some fun." She continued pulling, going out the door but not before grabbing another apple. Elsa didn't protest anymore and let her sister drag her to wherever she pleased.

She could worry about the letter later.

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	4. Chapter 4

**This is the last chapter of the ones I've rewritten. After this, it's all new and original.**

 **There are a lot of references in this chapter. See if you can spot them all.**

 **Just a little note (because of something that happened in another story): I love reviews just as much as any writer does but please, for the love of Hans and Elsa, don't write "update soon" reviews. I know I don't update this story frequently but please don't come into the comment section with the intention to only write that phrase. I don't mind the phrase but please write more than just those two words. They piss me off to no end (because it feels like a command to me and writing is my hobby, not my job) and prompts me to push back update dates two weeks back. I can write several thousand words in one day so I don't see why someone would be incapable of writing more than three words to let me know that they like something I've written, which in turn encourages me to keep writing.**

 **That's all I wanted to say, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Chapter #4**

"Elsa?" The Queen was roused from an uneasy sleep by a gentle hand on her shoulder. The woman groggily looked up to the face of Henry, who looked surprised to see her though he tried to hide it behind a smile. "Breakfast's ready."

"Thank you." The woman mumbled in reply. As the boy walked away to join his family, Elsa sat up and looked around with a sigh, getting the painful reminder that she was in Storybrooke with no memory and without her sister. She pushed the blanket off of her but sat frozen.

"You ok?" Mary-Margaret called.

"Yes." Elsa replied with a weak and forced smile. She rose from her bed and joined at the breakfast table. "I'm fine." She absentmindedly grabbed some food and ate it, regardless of whether or not she liked it.

"Right, so here's the plan." Emma spoke out after swallowing a chunk of toast. "I'll give you a change of clothes and then we'll get started on restoring your memory." The Queen looked down at her clothes as the woman spoke, for the first time noticing the splotches of blood that decorated the fabric.

"I can make my own clothing." Elsa replied, trying to say it without sounding insulting, "But thank you." Emma smiled before continuing with her food.

"You make your own clothing?" Henry asked.

"Sometimes." She answered. She wasn't in the mood for small talk; she wanted to find Anna and her memories and return to Arendelle before Weselton took advantage of her absence. She pushed her plate away and stood up, heading to the bathroom to change her dress. She could do it right there in the room but she needed a moment alone. Once inside, she locked the door and simply stared at her reflection, for the first time seeing Emma's words towards her jump in age. Emma was right; she did look a lot older compared to a year ago.

Elsa wasn't sure how long she had been staring at her reflection but after noticing the blood on her dress once more, she snapped out of her stare. She quickly lifted both her hands, using the same gesture she used the first time she made an ice dress, but nothing happened.

"What?" She repeated the gesture but still nothing happened. "Emma." Elsa said in shock. "Emma!" She cried, fumbling to unlock the door.

"Elsa, what is it?" Emma called through the door, yanking at the doorknob. Elsa eventually got the door unlocked and threw it open.

"My magic is gone!" She exclaimed.

"What? How is that possible?" Emma demanded, looking at Elsa's hands. The Ice Queen looked at her own hands in despair.

"I don't know." She said sombrely. If Elsa had been upset before, she was utterly devastated now. Her magic was gone, the thing that defined her as a person was gone. At a time in her life, she may have been ecstatic to know it was gone but having finally accepted it as a part of her, she felt incomplete. When she sat down to calm herself, Mary-Margaret kept trying to bolster her hope that maybe it was blocked by some spell rather than gone but the unnerving feeling in the pit of her stomach was convincing Elsa it was gone. Permanently.

Finding herself without a means to make clothing, Elsa had to take Emma's offer of borrowing. Fortunately, the two women were very similar in size so it fitting was never an issue. The only issue arose from trying to put on a bra. Elsa had never worn one, let alone seen one, so she spent several minutes trying to put it on correctly and fasten it. Once on, she found it to be a lot more comfortable than a corset; she could breathe and move a lot better now but she wasn't stuck in those thoughts for long because she noticed something different about her body. Her breasts felt and looked bigger than before and there were many scar-like marks littered all over her belly.

"What happened to me?" She mumbled to herself, brushing her fingers over the marks. She snatched the long-sleeved black shirt with V-neck and quickly put it on to hide the strange marks. Seeing them made her even more desperate to find her memories but desperation would only deter her focus.

She then pulled on the skinny jeans, the process long and awkward as her foot kept getting stuck. They weren't uncomfortable but, being used to dresses and stockings, it felt more than awkward for the Ice Queen to wear something that was tight and showed off the very shape of her legs. She would never have worn something like this in Arendelle.

After putting her hair back in a neat braid, she came out of the bathroom and presented herself to the Charmings.

"You know, modern clothing really suit you." Mary-Margaret commented, still making minor attempts to cheer Elsa up.

"Thanks?" She said, looking herself up and down, not sure if it was a compliment or not.

"You ready?" Emma asked, carrying a white pea coat with black buttons. Elsa nodded.

"I guess."

"Here," The blonde said, handing the Queen the coat, "it's a little cold outside." Elsa took the coat with an appreciative nod and put it on, not bothering to close the buttons. After Emma gave Elsa some shoes, the two women were on their way to Gold's shop, figuring that if they were going to find even a clue on how to find memories or what happened, it was best to start there.

"Hello Em- Elsa? What are you doing here?" Belle gasped, flabbergasted at the sight of the Ice Queen.

"I don't know." Elsa answered in a forlorn tone.

"That's why we're here." Emma explained. "Do you have anything that can restore memories?"

"Maybe. Rumple might've had some but he would've hidden it well." She turned to the wall behind her, removed the painting and began turning the code for the safe. "I don't know if he has it here so, in case it's not, try the bookshelf and see if any of those books have a spell for memories." As Elsa headed for the shelf, Belle opened the safe to find it empty. While the two women began searching the counter and sought other hidden cubbies, Elsa examined the books, which varied greatly in size and color. She picked up the one of a musty green color and the remnants of gold lea. She opened it to the first page, finding a short message:

 _Stories are magic my children. Read them and I'll always be with you. Love, your mother._

Elsa could feel the tenderness and love in those words and felt sad that the woman who wrote them was likely not alive anymore. And her children…. she wagered they were no older than ten. She continued through the book, knowing that she wouldn't find any useful information. The fairy-tale of some man named Aang, a legend of a dragon trainer, the story of the "Guardians of Childhood" and a fable of a dwarf who called himself a "Full Metal Alchemist", whatever that was, wasn't going to help her in any possible way but she still scoured the book, finding an odd sense of ease and tranquility in the light of childhood naivety. After the story of a group of friends who called themselves "The Big Four", she put the book away, reminding herself that she needed her memories so she could find Anna.

She skimmed through all the books, reading excerpts about supposed sources of all magic and sorcerers powerful enough to stop or speed up time in a realm but nothing on memory recovery. It was infuriating; with all the advanced magic in those books, there had to be something on memories.

"Nothing!" Elsa grunted, slamming the last book on the pile, "Nothing!" She anticipated her usual flurry of frustration but nothing happened.

Belle stopped her search and approached Elsa, concern written on her face.

"We'll find your memories. Okay?" She asked with her signature hopeful tone; they had barely begun their search and would get nowhere if Elsa was already getting frustrated. The Queen nodded and took a deep breath.

"I just need a moment to think." She whispered. Her friend nodded, offering a smile, and returned to the cupboards.

Elsa stood by the books a while longer before she headed straight for the door, the bell jingling loudly as she returned to the chilly spring weather.

Digging her hands into the pockets of her coat, she walked down the street, staring at the ground and letting her feet guide her. As far as she was concerned, she had no destination. Her aimless walk led her to a park with a quaint little stream and benches lined along it to enjoy the serenity. She dropped herself down on a bench with a sigh, thinking that her day honestly couldn't get any worse.

She had no magic, no memories, Anna was gone and she had an unexplainable age jump. Couldn't get worse than that right?

To her annoyance, it did when a certain auburn-haired man came to sit beside her.

* * *

 **Arendelle**

Elsa had come to a decision. Four days after receiving Catherine's letter, she received a second letter from her as well as one from Rosenfell and, shockingly, from the Southern Isles. She left the one from the Southern Isles to last and read the letter from Catherine first and then the letter from Rosenfell, which was from one of Hans' brothers: Fredrick. Both the letters, though written differently, had the same content: begging to spare Hans' life and his reasons for committing treason and attempted regicide. When at last she came to the letter from the Southern Isles, part of her feared that it was from the King, demanding to know why she hadn't killed Hans yet. She was grateful to be able to control her magic, otherwise the floor would've been soaked. With slightly shaking hands, she broke the wax and read the letter.

It was from another brother by the name of Edvard. Like the other two, he begged Elsa to not kill Hans and explained his past and motivations to his crimes. What was different was what the man had asked of her at the end: he asked her to give Hans a second chance. At first, Elsa completely rejected the idea. Why should Hans deserve a second chance? He tried to kill Anna _twice_! On top of that, he usurped her kingdom and her people! If anyone didn't deserve another chance, it was him, but as she thought more on the topic, the more she came to realize that Hans, perhaps, _did_ deserve a chance. Why? Because, after years of shutting her out, Anna gave her a second chance; after freezing her kingdom, her people gave her a second chance. When she had made mistakes, they gave her a second chance to right the wrong. Why should she deny such an opportunity to someone who has done so much wrong? If Hans was anything like his family explained in the letters, perhaps he could return to the person he once was with such an opportunity.

She thought hard for another hour, weighing all the possible outcomes and all the pros and cons of giving Hans a chance and not giving it. With a pounding heart and the letters in her hand, she made her way to the council chamber, ordering passing servants to get her council together. She was the first to arrive in the room, taking her spot of the extravagant chair, her powers threatening to freeze the letters. One by one the councillors trickled in, bowing to her before taking their assigned spots. The last one to arrive was Landvik. He bowed to the queen and sat down in the last vacant chair, next to Elsa. The room remained silent, the old men waiting for Elsa to start speaking.

"Gentlemen." She started, "I've called you because I've made a decision in regards to Hans." A brief murmur was exchanged as the men looked at each other, anxious to know what the Queen would say. She held up her hand to silence them. "My previous decision was to imprison Hans for the rest of his life but I came to realize that that was not a wise choice." She looked at Landvik, "You have urged me to give him a sentence appropriate of his crimes which would be death." She took a breath, "However, I have decided that hard labor is the better punishment for him." Again the murmurs arose among the councillors but these had an air of anger to them.

"May I ask what caused you to make this decision?" Landvik asked, trying to hide his anger towards Elsa's decision. The Queen stood up and revealed the letters.

"I have received these today. They are letters from Hans' family, including his mother." She opened one of the letters. "In it, they explain what motivated Hans to commit his crimes and they have asked me to spare his life. They also asked me to give him a second chance."

"Your Majesty," A councillor by the name of Nielsen interceded, "Forgive my forwardness but I think I speak for many in this room when I say I don't believe it's worth Arendelle's time and resources to accommodate for scum as low as Hans." The murmur following the statement had an air of agreement to it.

"Nielsen," Elsa began, upholding a tone of the utmost regality, "You know I value your opinion but I sincerely believe that this decision is more beneficial than the one I previously made in the matter." More murmurs.

"What kind of hard labor did you have in mind, Your Majesty?" Eriksen asked.

"The diamond mines." The Queen responded, "He'll be under constant supervision and will be punished or rewarded in accordance to his behaviour."

"When will he be moved to the mines?" Hermansen inquired.

"Today. I've already ordered for a transport cart to be prepared. Nielsen, you will be accompanying them. Tell the commanding officers I want a weekly report on Hans; anything worth note taking, be it positive or negative, I want to know about it." She stood up, the old men following suit. "Now, if there are no more questions, this meeting is adjourned." With more murmurs the men began to exit the room, giving the customary bow to the Queen before doing so. Elsa waited for all to leave and the door to shut before she dropped herself on her chair with a sigh of relief. That meeting went a lot better than she had expected; she had feared that the councillors would completely debunk her plans for Hans and demand either a life imprisonment or a death sentence. After a moment to collect her breath and thoughts, Elsa rose from her chair and walked to the window, gazing down on the courtyard where she saw the cart being prepared. Not much later, she watched as soldiers brought Hans to the cart. They removed the chains on his wrists and threw him in, shutting the door with so much force that the Queen could hear the clang. The prisoner quickly moved from the floor and sat down on the wooden plank, putting his hand on his forehead. He appeared to let out a sigh. As the cart began to roll out of the courtyard and headed towards the mountains, Elsa thought that Hans looked up and saw her standing in the window but he was too far away by then to know for certain.

News of the Queen's orders quickly spread through the castle and then the city. Many were angry but none as angry as Princess Anna. Her face nearly red from rage, the Princess stormed through the castle, trying to find her sister and demand an explanation. She went from the Queen's room to the council chambers to the library but Elsa was nowhere to be found. It became even more frustrating when the servants and councillors couldn't answer her questions either. Finally, her questions were answered by a soldier; Elsa was in the dungeon. Anna dashed off and found her sister exactly where the soldier told her: siting on a stool, staring at the walls of Hans' cell. Had Anna looked she would've noticed the chalk drawings on them.

"How could you do this!?" Anna shouted, the sudden noise making Elsa jump. The woman rose from her seat, holding her hands out in an attempt to calm her raging sister down.

"Anna, please try to understand." Elsa said calmly though inside she was scared.

"No! I don't understand!" Anna hollered, "How can you do this after everything he has done to me, to us!?"

"Anna," Elsa continued in her calm tone, wishing the annoying feeling in her gut would disappear. "Please, calm down and I'll explain." Anna's expression of anger and her heavy breathing didn't stop but after several minutes of bated silence, her expression softened.

"Alright." She said, her tone still angry. Elsa let out a deep breath and handed the three letters in her hands to Anna.

"Read these." Elsa went to sit back down as Anna read, her face softening as she read the words but immediately hardening once finished.

"You expect me to believe a word of this?" The Princess sneered, holding the letters out to her sister.

"They're from his family." Elsa reasoned, taking the letters back, "Why would they lie about something like this?"

"Because that's all the Westergaards are good at! Lying!" Anna exclaimed, "There's not a decent bone in their family!"

"Anna!" Elsa exclaimed, "You are judging an entire family based on the actions of one person!" Elsa didn't like fighting with her sister but considering how unreasonable Anna was being, she didn't have a choice.

"And you aren't considering my feelings or the feelings of your people! You're just trying to keep some kingdom in the middle of nowhere happy by sparing the life of some no good imp!"

"Do you really believe that I didn't consider your feelings when making this decision?" Elsa shouted back, making Anna take a step back. Elsa took a breath to calm down before an ice spike appeared and impaled her sister. The sisters stood silently, one angry and upset while the other's mind was racing for a means of pacifying her raging sibling. "Anna?" Elsa finally spoke, "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do, Elsa." The Queen stepped towards her sister, taking her hand,

"Then trust me with this. I truly believe that this decision is a better choice than execution." Anna looked down at their clasped hands, it reminding her of their bond and the promises they made to each other. She sighed deeply.

"Alright." She agreed albeit reluctantly, "But don't think for a second that I'm ok with this."

"I honestly wouldn't expect anything different from you." Elsa said with a light chuckle, it eliciting the tiniest of smiles on Anna's face. "But please try to understand what I'm doing here."

"Elsa," Anna said softly, still staring at their hands, "Whatever it is you're trying to do, it's not going to work. I know Hans; he's a spineless idiot who will do anything to meet his own needs. He is evil and a monster." The cell became silent again, Elsa stepping away from her sister, letting go of her hand.

"Do you remember what the Duke of Weselton called me? Have you forgotten what everyone called Ingrid?"

"Elsa…" Anna started but the Queen had left the cell, leaving the Princess with her thoughts. No, she hadn't forgotten what the Duke had said and what everyone labeled Ingrid but Elsa and Ingrid were never monsters. They were merely misunderstood. Hans, however, was not. She understood him completely. He was an arrogant, selfish, power-hungry man who'd do anything to gain power, even horrible things like murder.

With Elsa gone, Anna finally spotted the chalk pictures. Some were simple, child-like drawings like flowers and buildings and animals but the ones that stood out were the pictures of the people, which looked as if a master drew them. The people were two boys, a girl, and a woman. Three of them were rather simple, containing little detail in their faces and hair but the picture of the girl had so much detail. Hadn't she been so gritty and black, Anna could almost believe she was alive. She reached out to touch the drawing but then reminded herself who drew them. She looked around the cell, grabbed from a pile of dirt in the corner and threw the stuff at the drawings, destroying the happy pictures.

She let out a grunt and glared at the picture of the girl, who had escaped Anna's spurt of anger.

"Whoever you are," She started, looking and pointing to the girl, "I hope Hans lost you a long time ago." She rubbed a handful of dirt over the picture and left, stomping her way out of the dungeons and up towards the stables, any person she met along the way carefully stepping out of the way of the fuming princess.

In the stables she found her husband keeping his lifelong companion company. When he heard footsteps, he looked up and his expression fell when he saw Anna's face, her expression a mix of anger and sadness but mostly anger.

"What is it?" He asked, standing up. Anna took a breath and explained what had happened. "So Hans' sentence is now hard labor." He grumbled when Anna finished.

"I can't believe Elsa would do this to me." Anna whined somberly.

"She did not do it to spite you, Anna." Kristoff reasoned, feeding Sven a carrot when the animal nudged his shoulder.

"I know she didn't," the woman interceded, "But why suddenly change her mind because some letters came along which boast they know Hans? I know Hans! His brothers hated him, so why, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, do they ask Elsa to not kill him? Why not do it before he tried to kill me again? And how can I know for certain that those letters are really from the Southern Isles?"

"That's a lot of questions and I have answers to none of them." She rolled her eyes as they had been rhetorical.

"Does she really expect me to believe those letters?"

"Honestly, I'd be surprised if you did."

"But why should she believe them?" Anna asked, pacing back and forth while moving her hands all over the place. "She's a Queen; she should be able to tell if they were lying and she needs to think of the well-being of the kingdom before she thinks of the well-being of another.'

"Have you ever considered that she'd doing this for the benefit of Arendelle?" Her husband asked. That made Anna stop.

"No…" She answered slowly. "But I don't see how keeping Hans alive is beneficial…. To anyone."

"I beg to differ." The iceman said smugly, taking in pride that he had outsmarted his wife. "I think the only reason Elsa is keeping that idiot alive is because the southern Isles threatened to do something if she didn't. Plus with Hans being in the diamond mines, Arendelle has more diamonds to trade. Not to mention that Hans will likely die in that place."

"Really?" Anna inquired, her head perking up at that information. Kristoff nodded.

"Yep. It's part of the reason they send criminals there." Anna crossed her arms and looked at her feet while she processed the information.

"I guess that's not half-bad but now I feel bad because I yelled at Elsa!"

"Then go apologize to her. I know she'll forgive you." Anna sighed but nodded.

"You're right." She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in to give him a tender kiss. "Thank you." The iceman smiled and embraced his wife

"You're welcome. Now go; it's weird seeing you and Elsa like this." Anna couldn't help but let out a tiny giggle.

"Again, you're right. That was the first real fight we've ever had."

"Which makes it even more weird." Kristoff said. With another giggle, Anna gave him one tighter hug and muttered another thank you before heading out of the stables to find her sister.

 **It was weird writing Anna and Elsa fighting. They're usually so happy.**

 **Review (please. I spend weeks/months on these chapters and it's disheartening when I get no response to them), favorite, follow.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't know why but I'm always having trouble with these chapters. Also, I'm having too much fun putting the Frozen characters in the modern world.**

 **I have to thank blue-pixiedust on tumblr for some glorious ideas in this chapter, especially regarding Hans.**

 **Chapter 5**

Hans was quite surprised when the doctor told him he was well enough to leave. While the injury on his stomach was a nuisance, it was properly bandaged and no longer a threat to his life but, Hans had a sneaking suspicion that everyone just wanted him out of the hospital; probably had the Ice Queen to thank for that. At least the Doctor was a decent man. He was the one that told him he was free to go and had given him some clean clothes to wear, as they had gotten rid of his bloodied clothes.

He had some trouble getting out of bed due to a knee injury he wasn't aware he had (a shattered kneecap, according to the doctor) and getting his clothes one but somehow, he managed. The clothing they gave him were odd and uncomfortable but he decided to just go with it. For now at least. They gave him pants that appeared to be made of some odd blue fabric. It felt harsh against his fingers but not in a painful way. The next item was a black shirt that was very form fitting with short sleeves, something he had never even heard of for men's clothing. The last item of clothing was a jacket made from the same fabric as the pants but a different color. He was accustomed to having tails on his coats but this one ended by his hips at every inch; he didn't like it.

"This is a strange realm. "He muttered as he examined the outfit in the only mirror in the room, which was a small thing in which he could barely see his own face.

With the uncomfortable garb on and thinking he looked decent, Hans proceeded to leave the hospital. This proved to be a challenge as any person he passed would blatantly ignore him. The only one who remotely acknowledged his existence was the doctor, who stopped him at the door.

"I still have some of your belongings." The doctor explained, going behind the counter and muttering something to the woman sitting there before diving under the desk to retrieve a box. Hans opened it, recognizing only one item of the three. He took said item and quickly stuffed it in his pocket.

"Those gauntlets aren't mine." He told the doctor, pushing the box away from him.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to take them; that's our policy." The Doctor replied, pushing the box back as well as putting a slip of paper beside it, "And I need you to sign this." Hans muttered profanities under his breath as he snatched the gauntlets out of the box.

"I'm going to need something to write with if you want me to sign this." Doctor Whale grabbed a pen from his breast pocket and handed it to Hans, who stared at it in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" Whale asked, noticing how the man was looking around the counter, searching for something.

"You haven't given me any ink." Hans explained. Whale had to stifle a giggle.

"You don't need any for that one."

Confused but also fascinated, Hans took the strange, long object and started writing, his eyes widening in awe at the appearance of blue ink on the paper. Once signed, he put the pen down and limped out the door.

Upon leaving the building, Hans had a pulse of shock; everything was so different. Not knowing what to do or where to go, he set off in a random direction, his eyes examining every minor detail of the town. It was strange and he didn't like it. It was nothing like Arendelle or the Southern Isles. Everything as gloomy; no warm light coming from the windows, no blue sky, no music playing in the streets or people shouting and the steel boxes roaring on the streets scared him. It was nothing like his realm.

Nothing like his realm.

The thought made him stop his aimless walk. In brief hating of the realm, he failed to notice what it had to offer him: a second chance. No one – except the people in the hospital – knew what he had done in the past. He could have a new beginning. Added bonus was he didn't have brothers spewing venom at him.

With the first smile he had conjured since his arrival, the former prince continued his path, looking around everything with excitement though still jumped as the steel boxes raced by. He had no idea where he could sleep and getting work would likely be a challenge but he decided to worry about it later

His walk around town lasted an hour. He explored every corner possible and asked several strangers for information regarding work and shelter. It turned out that there was plenty of work available and for a room he could easily get one at a place called "Granny's Dinner". For once in his life, things were looking up.

He stumbled upon a park and the serenity of the scene pulled him in. He jovially walked through the park, taking in the scent of the fresh spring air. He eventually reached a quaint stream with benches lined along it. Without looking, he plunked himself down on one, only then realizing someone was sitting beside him. Someone none other than Queen Elsa.

He didn't look at her – he refused to look at her – but he could feel her icy glare on him. He bit his tongue, knowing it'd be better to stay silent.

"I will find my memories." The Queen said lowly, "You can try to stop me but I will find them. Your smooth words won't save you once we're back in Arendelle."

"Wat makes you think I'm ever going back?"

"You are going back!" The Queen fumed, turning her gaze to him, "You can never undo what you've done and you will pay the price of your actions. You can't escape it anywhere, even in another realm. But what do you know about the consequences of what you've done? You don't know anything, you don't feel anything; not pain or happiness or love. I doubt you've ever felt true love."

"You don't know anything." He immediately stood up with the intention to leave, memories of years ago reemerging from the deepest forgotten depths of his memories. To his annoyance, Elsa stood too.

"I know enough." She snapped, "Anna told me everything." The man stared at her for a moment before letting out a dry chuckle.

"Do you truly believe that I told Anna everything about my life?"

"Then what didn't you tell?"

"I have no reason to answer that. You see," He turned around calmly, "you are in no position to force the answer out of me." He then bowed in a mocking way, "Now, if you'll excuse me, _Your Majesty_ , I have some business to attend to."

"Your wife causin' you trouble?" A smooth voice asked. Hans looked in the direction and found a tall, skinny man leaning casually against a tree, a cane with a purple globe in his hand.

"She's not my wife." Hans snapped. The man chuckled and emerged from the shadows.

"I know, Prince Hans; I can't help but pull a joke every now and then." He removed his hat and bowed his head to the astonished man in front of him, "A tip of the hat from Doctor Facilier." In a sleight of hand, he replaced his hat and handed Hans a purple card.

"How did you know who I was?" Hans asked, glancing briefly at the card. The tall man smirked and took Hans' hand, turning his palm up. He pointed to some random lines.

"It's all written in your palm." He frowned as he continued to stare at his palm. "Hm… You have quite a story. Just problem after problem." He pointed at the center line. "Your most recent being your memories." He wrapped an arm around Hans' shoulder and began leading him towards the tree line, quickly sneaking a glance at the Ice Queen. "I can help you with that." He said loudly, loud enough for Elsa to hear.

"Really?" Hans asked, not believing the man in the slightest and removing his arm from around his shoulders. The tall man smirked and snapped his fingers. There was a whoosh of air and torches by a sign shaped as a hat above the door of a shabby hut exploded on, lighting up the words "Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Emporium". The door creaked open menacingly, opening to a dark room with no windows and frightening objects such as skulls and ragged dolls with needles stuck in random places decorating the shelves along the intricately decorated purple walls.

"What's voodoo?" Hans asked, getting annoyed when the stranger put his arm around his shoulder again and pulled him in.

"It's a special kind of magic." Facilier gloated, removing his arm. "But it's not widely practiced. You see, it's complicated to master but I found the rewards worth it."

"And this helps me how?" The strange man grabbed a deck of cards and masterfully began to shuffle them.

"Voodoo allows me to do in a few minutes what other wizards need months to do. No fancy spells or complicated potions; just a few basic steps and you have what you desire." Cards still in his hands, Facilier sat in a chair at a round table where he continued his sleight of hand. "But as with all magic, it comes with a price." He gathered the pile of cards and made them disappear. "I don't ask for much. All I want is that lovely gold ring." He pointed to Hans' hand where, to the man's surprise, was said ring. Hans had never seen it before and, without a grain of hesitance, he threw it to the voodoo man.

"Now give me my memories." Hans demanded as soon as Facilier had caught the item.

"Patience is a virtue, Hans." He chuckled, putting the ring in the pocket of his maroon tailcoat. "And its one you clearly need to learn." He then reached into another pocket and grabbed a mysterious purple powder, which he threw at the wall behind his chair. It vanished and an eerie purple light filled the room while menacing Lao masks of wood appeared where the wall was. Chuckling louder, Facilier reached into the mouth of the largest mask and pulled out a scroll from the swirling green light. Once the item was out, the mouth slammed shut, the wall mysteriously coming back, the room instantly returning to normal.

"Here you are." Facilier beamed as he handed the scroll to Hans, "Just read it and your memories will return." Without so much as an utterance of thanks, Hans left the hut. For a moment, Facilier stood silently, watching the door, before he retrieved the ring from his coat. He let out a low chuckle, his shadow taking the ring and placing it in a small chest. "I've got one." The bokor said triumphantly. "Now I just need its counterpart and I know exactly where to get it."

 **Arendelle**

"Elsa?" The Queen looked up at the sound of her name and a small smile appeared on her face when she saw her sister. She rose from her seat and put away the book she had been attempting to read. An awkward silence filled the room.

"Anna…" Elsa started, the words difficult to find, "I'm sorry about today. It was such a difficult decision. I-"

"No, I should be saying sorry." The princess interceded. She went to her sister and took her hands, "You're the Queen and you have to do what's best for the kingdom, even if I don't like it." Her words made the Queen smile a teary smile and she pulled her sister into an embrace.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Besides," Anna piped, releasing the hug but still holding on tight to Elsa's hands, "I have more important things to worry about."

"Like keeping the staff busy by having them make chocolate?" Elsa teased. Anna laughed and nodded.

"And getting you ready to be an aunt." She added happily, laughing again at the look on Elsa's face

"What?"

"What?" Anna teased.

"Are you pregnant?"

"That's what I meant by preparing you to be an aunt!"

"Anna, that's…." Elsa was at a loss for words. She could not believe it; Anna was going to be a mother and she was going to be an aunt.

"Wonderful, incredible, the best news you've ever heard in your life?" Anna listed excitedly, trying her hardest to not jump around from joy.

"All of them." Elsa piped, pulling her sister back into an embrace. "So, have you thought of any names?"

"I only found out a little while ago!" Anna replied, "Names haven't even come up yet between me and Kristoff!"

"Does he know?" Elsa asked.

"No he doesn't; I wanted you to know first." Elsa smiled.

"That's very sweet but I think you should tell your _husband_ now." Anna nodded and then took her sister's hand.

"You're going to tell him with me!" And the princess proceeded to drag the Queen out of the room.

"I'll stand beside you but you will do the talking. He's your husband, not mine." Elsa retorted, increasing the speed of her pace so Anna wouldn't be dragging her the entire way.

Alright." Anna beamed and they continued their way towards the stable, where they found Kristoff still residing there since his and Anna's conversation not 30 minutes prior. He was ecstatic at the news but he seemed nervous too. Yes, he had helped the trolls out with the young ones and had even babysat them but the idea of taking care of a baby, a human baby, made his hands shake. Anna admitted she was nervous as well but that her excitement outweighed the anxiety. With lots or assurances, Kristoff appeared to be excited about the idea of becoming a father.

They spent the rest of the day talking about the baby, fighting over the possible gender and suggesting names. By the evening, Anna had her heart set on naming the child Leif if it turned out to be a boy while Kristoff wanted to name it Elise if it were a girl. It was a beautiful and fun evening filled with laughter and love. It made Elsa completely forget about the man she had sent to the mountains.

Of course she got her reminder at the end of the week when the first of the reports she had requested had arrived. She was nervous when she opened it but the feeling had been accompanied with a sense of hope that maybe Hans had realized that she was giving him a chance to change his ways. As she read the report, her hope was dashed.

Hans was a troublemaker.

He fought with his inmates, stole from his superiors and caused all kinds of other shenanigans. With everything he had committed during his sentence, it surprised Elsa that he hadn't even attempted to run away. The warden, a ruthless man, had asked the Queen permission to use harsher punishment on Hans, which she had explicitly forbade to be used on the man. Elsa didn't like the idea in the slightest but, considering the report, she didn't have much choice. With a churning stomach and a bitter taste in her mouth, she approved the warden's request.

Elsa tried to not think back or talk about her decision. Instead, she focused on other problems within her kingdom, trying to make sure everyone was feed, healthy and happy. The weekly reports she received at the end of the week were the only times Hans managed to wiggle his way into her mind. It appeared the heavier punishments worked.

Relieved by this news, Elsa skimmed over the reports she got in the following weeks but at the end of the fourth week, she received the most disturbing report yet.

Hans had attempted to kill himself.

 **Don't be fooled! His suicide is not what it looks like.**

 **Review favorite follow**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _Read the scroll._

"Sounds simple enough." Hans thought as he made his way back to the gravel paths of the park with the scroll tight in his hand. He took a seat in the now vacant park bench and opened the scroll eagerly. He had expected to get his memories back in a flash but for 10 seconds, nothing happened. Then writing began to appear on the paper.

 _Touching one, yet holding two,_ _  
_ _it is a one link chain_ _  
_ _binding those who keep words true,_ _  
_ _'til death rent it in twain._

"A riddle?' The prince muttered, gawking at the scroll as Facilier had mentioned nothing about a riddle. Annoyed, Hans rose and turned to return to the bokor but froze at the sight that greeted him. A strangely dressed fellow stood before him, the hood hiding their face from him. They were dressed in a white coat and a white shirt accompanied with a red sash decorated with an odd triangular insignia, their right hand hidden under a gray glove, and tight black pants stuffed into knee-length boots. The same triangular insignia was found on the silver gauntlets, which made the hairs on Hans' neck stand. It seemed familiar.

"Who-?"

"You thought you could escape me in another realm didn't you, Little Frog?" The figure spoke, the voice feminine. To say that Hans was confused would be an understatement.

"Should I know you?" He demanded, stuffing the scroll into his pocket before slightly bringing his hands up, ready to protect himself should the stranger attack. She chuckled.

"You did." He could see her smirk under the hood. "The memory spell has done a fine job."

"You took my memories?" Hans inquired, taking a step closer as if threatening to fight.

"Not exactly." She said calmly, not fazed at all by his tone. She began fiddling with her gauntlets. "But it is of no importance, Little Frog." She flicked her wrist smallest bit and three, claw-like blades emerged from the gauntlet before turning her back to him, "I'm going to close my eyes and count to ten; it makes the chase more interesting." She began counting, not at all expecting the prince to begin to run.

Hans didn't run away. He ran to the line of trees and grabbed the first strong stick he could find. He could do well without a weapon but he knew it would be suicide to face her without one, considering how menacing hers looked. He put on the gauntlets and returned to the path, where he could hear her say "four". She looked over at him, stick held in hand like a sword.

"You're trying my patience." She turned around and began to walk towards him, her pace speeding up to a run as she counted faster, "5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!" At the shout of the last number, she swung her claw-like blades and sliced the stick he had as a weapon in half. Hans swung with the other half he had and he managed to block a strike, just narrowly missing one from her other hand. He saw her smirk.

"You're a much better fight than your brothers were." In that one sentence, Hans let his guard down for but a second, which was more than enough for her. She tackled him to the ground, stepping on his wrist to stop him from grabbing his "weapon" again. She retracted the claws back into the gauntlets and drew her sword, pointing it to his chest. "You certainly lasted longer than your nephew."

"What did you do to him?" Hans said lowly, sitting up slightly, not at all fazed by the blade. The woman chuckled.

"That's right; you don't remember. Don't worry, you'll know in a few moments." She lifted the sword, ready to plunge it into him, when a man threw gravel into her eyes. The man, dressed in a suit and carrying an umbrella, looked to Hans.

"Get out of here!" He told him. Without waiting a second, Hans scrambled up and ran, not even looking over his shoulder as his savior was attacked by the woman. He ran and ran, nearly being run over by one of the steel boxes before he took shelter in an alleyway to catch his breath. He had no idea what to make of the encounter he had just had. The woman had seemed familiar but he couldn't remember at what point he had seen her before. And that insignia…. He had seen it before. But where?

"You look like you're being chased." A female voice said to his right. She had spotted him dashing into the alley and curiosity had pulled her closer.

"Is it that obvious?" Hans replied with a light-hearted tone, putting on his mask for the stranger. She was a stranger, at least, he thought she was. He had the uneasy feeling in his stomach that he recognized her, the feeling not quite the same as with the Assassin. He quickly deduced that the feeling had merely been stirred from the stranger's hair, which was the same rich shade of auburn as his mother's had been. The stranger smiled a little at his statement.

"Well, I can't exactly say that you're exercising, considering you're wearing regular pants and not gym shorts."

"Gym shorts?" Hans asked, which made her chuckle.

"You're not from around here." Her smile became brighter, it, for some reason, making Hans feel a little more at ease. She held her hand to him. "Belle French." Hans looked at her hand for a moment with a slightly raised eyebrow before he slowly placed his own hand in it.

"Hans Westergaard."

"Pleasure." Belle took another step into the alley, "And welcome to Storybrooke."

"Thank you."

"So, where are you from?" She asked as she sat down beside him.

"Mensonge." Hans answered; he wasn't about to tell the first friendly face in forever the truth. She would turn on him; they always did."

"Hm…" Belle hummed, "My mother was from there but I've never been myself."

"It's quite beautiful." Hans had only been there once when he was a child but he oddly remembered a lot of it. "The hills in the countryside were such a vibrant green in the summer and vineyards stretched so far you could barely see the end of it. I remember paying hide and seek there with my two brothers."

"Just that already sounds amazing." Belle said dreamily.

"You're not someone who has traveled often." Hans chuckled, his mask peeling away a little.

"No but I've always dreamt about it. She crossed her arms and hugged herself, "I dreamt of adventure in the great wide somewhere but something always got in the way; call it chance or fate."

"I don't believe in fate. Not anymore."

"Why is that?"

"I don't believe in some magical force that controls my life. I'm the only one in charge of it and I make decisions for myself."

"Fair enough but I do think some things are just meant to happen."

"What makes you think that?" Belle bit her lip.

"I've had more than enough experiences in my life to believe that." At this point, she noticed the scroll in Hans' pocket. "What's that?" It seemed familiar, like something she had seen in a book a long time ago. The man took the scroll out of his pocket, feeling no urge to not show it, mostly because it wasn't something worth hiding.

"Someone gave it to me." He explained. "They said it would return my memories but they lied." He opened the scroll, "All it gave me was this." Belle frowned at the scroll, reading the riddle over and over.

"I've seen scrolls like this before." She took it and read it once more. "Scrolls like this are very hard to make; they hide memories or other precious information behind riddles, anagrams and other puzzles of the sort. Whoever made this must've been a very powerful sorcerer." Hans thought back to what Facilier had told him: _voodoo allows me to do in a few minutes what other wizards need months to do._ He couldn't tell Belle that as it began to rain. Belle pulled him up and dragged him out the alley towards a building less than 30 meters away. In their hurry, he did not notice the Assassin watching him from a distance.

Once inside, Belle stepped away to turn on lights while Hans looked around the store, which looked like a collection of junk to him for the most part.

"So," Belle continued, laying the scroll open on the counter, "solving these kinds of scrolls sounds fairly simple: you need to solve the puzzles to unlock everything. But the number of riddles can vary. Some only have one and other can easily have more than five. After all the riddles are solved, the scroll with morph into whatever it is it was keeping secret. So, in your case, it will turn into a memory stone."

"You know a lot about this." Hans commented.

"I may not have magic but I do know quite a bit about it." Belle explained, "Besides, this is not the first time I've encountered a scroll like this. Someone I knew a long time ago tried to use a scroll like this to try and prove that he was smart; he couldn't get passed the first riddle." Hans couldn't help but chuckle a little at this.

"I knew someone like that but nothing could lessen his stupidity." He straightened up and took the scroll, "Thank you for your help." He headed for the door, not certain about what to do next, when Belle stopped him.

"Where are you staying?" She had asked out of curiosity, considering he was new not only to the town but the realm as well. Hans froze when he realized that he still hadn't found somewhere to stay or even a place where he could earn some money. He was ready to lie again, like he had always done, but considering how she had helped him without a glare at his past actions (if she was even aware of what he had done), the least she deserved was a truthful answer.

"I haven't found a place to stay yet."

"Well, Granny's Inn is a good place to start but if that doesn't work, I do have a guest bedroom where you can stay." Belle explained. She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down her address. "Here's my house number."

"Thank you." If he was completely honest with himself, he was a little flabbergasted; it had been such a long time someone treated him like he was someone normal, not the man who attempted to kill a Queen and take over her kingdom. Belle nodded and smiled in return, lastly grabbing an umbrella.

"Take care." She handed him the item and opened the door for him. As he stepped out of the shop with the strange item keeping him dry, Hans felt oddly at ease; it was a nice change to be treated with kindness. He quickly made his way to the inn, feeling for a moment as if someone was watching him. He ignored the feeling as best as he could and entered the old inn, being greeted by a stern-looking old woman with thin glasses.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"I need a room." Hans explained. The woman opened the book.

"Do you know for how long exactly?"

"No." The woman glanced at him and then back at the book,

"I don't recognize you so I suspect you must be new. What's your name?"

"Hans Westerguard." She glared at him again,

"I know your friend Elsa." She commented. Hans looked away and grumbled under his breath. When he looked back, he gulped at the woman's glare; the book was closed. "I can't give you a room. I'm sorry but rules of the inn: no-felons allowed." Though furious, Hans kept his composure and nodded to the woman.

"Have a good day, madam." He turned and headed back into the rainy world. Once clear of the premise of the inn, he considered going to Belle's house but opted for finding shelter for himself; he didn't need her help in finding such a basic necessity. He was fully capable of taking care of himself; years in the navy had taught him how.

With each person he asked, it seemed his chance of finding a room by himself got more and more slim. Nearly everyone he spoke to knew who he was, no thanks to the Queen and her entourage of allies. By the time the sun was setting, he was hungry, cold, wet and he had enough. He felt beyond embarrassed that he had to ask for help but he wasn't to spend the night outside, not with that Assassin still roaming who knew where.

He retrieved the piece of paper from his pocket and with the help of someone who saw no immediate evil, he headed to Belle's.

At the door, he hesitated for a moment but after a deep breath, he knocked. Through the window next to the door, he could see her leave her solitary spot at the dinner table to answer the door. When she opened it, she offered him the same kind smile as earlier.

"Granny's didn't work out?" She asked.

"Kicked me out as soon as I got in." Hans replied with a light hearted tone. Belle chucked a little and stepped aside so the man could come in. "This is a nice house." He commented as he stepped in and put his umbrella away, it completely dry by down.

"Thank you." Belle headed back towards the dining room, motioning for him to follow her, "Are you hungry? I have some soup if you like."

"Soup sounds delicious." He sat down in a vacant spot, his stomach rumbling from going nearly a day without food. Belle grabbed the soup for her guest and placed it in front of him, noting how quickly, yet how neatly, he ate before continuing with her own food. They ate quietly, none of them sure what to say exactly; they were still strangers to each other.

Hans ate three entire bowls of the soup, all the while maintaining his princely etiquette. When they both finished, Belle brought the bowls into the kitchen and loaded them into the racks of some metallic cupboard.

"Do you always bring strangers into your home and feed them?" Hans asked all of a sudden while he observed her cleaning the dishes. Belle paused and shook her head.

"You're not exactly a stranger." She replied.

"But you don't know me and you give me food and a bed. Why?" Belle was silent, shutting the cupboard and pushing a few buttons.

"I'm not someone to leave another roaming the street with an empty stomach and a thin jacket." She leaned against the counter. "I don't know you very well but from what I've seen, you're a decent gentleman and the least I could do was give you food and a place to stay for the next little while."

"Decent…" Hans muttered; that was something he hadn't considered himself to be. He smiled at Belle, "Thank you. I'll try to not be a burden to you."

"I don't see how you could be; it's a big house. Now, come on. I'll show you your room." The two of them left room and headed upstairs, entering the second door on their left. It was a small room with a double bed covered in ugly plaid sheets. Next to the door was a small closet and another door led to a bathroom.

"Let me know if you need something." Belle said before leaving to get some towels and extra blankets, should he get cold. She wasn't sure completely sure why she was helping him but she knew that kindness had unspeakable power when it came to damaged people and he was damaged; she could see it in his eyes. When she came back to the room, she found Hans fast asleep, completely dressed besides his shoes, which lay neatly beside the bed. She quietly put the towels in the bathroom and placed one of the comforters over him before leaving, letting him rest in peace.

* * *

 **Arendelle**

In a shabby hut on the outskirts of the mines, Hans was lying on a cot under a thin blanket, his wrists wrapped in gross bandages to cover up the cuts. He had been completely silent since the incident five days ago, when he was found in the alley near the living quarters, unconscious, bleeding, and inches from death. Why they even bothered to save him, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he was alive and was set to continue working in this hell, where he was just a number, like he had always been in his life.

A number, the cursed 13. He was a fool for thinking he could ever be more than that. His brothers were right; in what world would he ever rise above what he was born as? Perhaps it would've been better if he had chosen the path of the Brotherhood, live his life devoted to some ethereal power he didn't understand and with a silent tongue, never to voice his desires. But it was much too late now. This was his fate: to die in the mines, as a forgotten prisoner, a shell of some prince who thought he could rise above it all.

The cloth that was the poor excuse for the door was pushed aside, the sun coming in and blinding him.

"Get up!" The medical officer ordered. Shielding his eyes, he got out of the cot as quickly as he could and got out the door, greeted by more soldiers. They surrounded him in a square and brought him to the Warden's office, the best build building in the whole area.

The soldier shoved him in the slammed the door shut behind him. Hans didn't look at the Warden, staring down at his withering shoes and ripped pants.

"You're still not going to tell me what happened?" The Warden demanded. The headshake Hans responded with was barely able to be seen. Why would he tell him? He wouldn't believe him anyway. The man rose from his seat and went to Hans and slapped his face. "I don't like secrets, you know that. So why don't you just tell me the truth and say that this was all a ploy to get some sympathy?" Again Hans shook his head, earning himself another slap. In any other situation, he would've fought back but in this one, he had no power to fight back with. Thankfully, this session didn't last long, it being interrupted by the daily post.

Hans went back to work, his fellow inmates swarming the postman for any letters that may have arrived. Only minutes after the man had left again, the guards came into the tunnels and without so much as a word, dragged Hans out and threw him into a prisoner cart.

"What's going on?" Hans asked but the guard only glared at him while he locked the door. He didn't bother asking again, knowing he wouldn't get an answer; he was more likely to get a beating out of it.

The cart hobbled done the mountainside slowly, trees and the occasional boulder the only things crossing their path. New obstacles eventually integrated: first the ice harvesters with their sleds of ice, then lumberjacks and ultimately all sorts of laborers. They all spotted the prisoner and some had the guts to throw an insult or spit at him. They all expected a reaction but they didn't even get a glare from the man; he simply sat quietly and stared at the bottom of the cart.

When Hans eventually peels his eyes away from the cart's dull, lumber bottom, he was both in awe and shock to discover they were back in the city and, even more to his amazement, were heading in the direction of the castle. He stared at the magnificent structure as it drew closer and closer. When they reached the gate, they were stopped briefly for inspection. The guards conversed briefly, exchanging greetings, papers, and farewells.

The courtyard was filled with people, lined up by the door for an audience with the queen. As the cart hobbled by, the folk in line stared at him, with one woman running up to him, spitting at him and yelling, "Go away, you devil!" Others joined in, throwing insults and rocks at him; guards had to come in to hold them back.

Once at a safe distance from the crowd, they stopped by a door hidden in the shadows on the far side of the courtyard. There, they were by an old woman wearing the servant's garb.

"Hello, _Amma._ " The driver piped to the woman while the other guard jumped from the seat and went to open the cage.

"Nice to see you for once." The woman replied, her tone on the cold side which contradicted her smile. The man stared at his feet with an ounce of shame and his cheeks slightly red.

"I know I haven't visited a lot but it's not easy to come down the mountain."

"I know, Geir." The woman approached him and placed her wrinkled hand over his. "But I would appreciate a few more letters. As would my granddaughter." The driver nodded and the woman kissed his cheek before turning her attention to Hans, standing next to the other guard with his head bowed. "Thank you, Årud. I'll take it from here.

"Ma'am." The soldier grumbled and hopped onto the cart, the driver waving to the woman as they rolled out of the courtyard and headed back to the mines. The woman kind and warm exterior immediately vanished as she looked at Hans, the man as silent as before with his head still bowed.

"I'm sure you're wondering what you're doing back here at the castle." The woman asked, to which Hans only replied with a nod. "Queen Elsa commanded that you returned to the castle and be put to work here; why, I honestly cannot imagine but it is her command." She lifted his chin and frowned at how dirty he looked. "First though, you got to get yourself cleaned up; by no means am I allowing anyone of the staff to look like they belong to a rabble of uncouth barbarians." The woman entered the door and Hans followed. They paced through the back hallways of the castle, far away from the Queen, her family, and the council. They went through the kitchens to the servant's quarters, a quite spacious area compared to some he had seen. In the corner furthest away from the one fireplace in the room was a thin mattress on the ground with a small pillow stuffed with hay and a blanket. Beside it, a bucket of clean water, a rag, a small mirror and a razor. "Come find me when you're finished."

"Yes, ma'am." He knelt in front of the mirror, getting the first good look at his appearance in about a month. He was covered in the black dirt from the mine and he sported a thick stubble, his sideburns much too long for his liking.

He began with cleaning off the dirt, scrubbing his face, neck, arms and hands thoroughly until his skin shined from cleanliness. Afterwards, he picked up the razor. Finding no shaving cream and doubting he'd get any if he asked, he carefully began to shave albeit slowly. Once the stubble was gone, he glanced at his sideburns. He had had them since he was 18, a means of looking like his brothers as he had thought that they would take him more seriously and so that he was at least worth looking at for them; how foolish and naïve that all seemed now. He brought the razor to the hair but couldn't bring himself to remove it. Instead, he opted to trim it and make it look cleaner. He spend a great deal of time staring at himself once finished, barely recognizing the person in the reflection. How far and how low he had fallen in such a short time. From prince to traitor to king to slave.

He found it strange that he would much rather be in the mines than in the castle. Sure, the castle would have its perks – like, no wind blowing through the walls - but nothing would be more humiliating than to be at the beck and call of his condemners. A hidden part of him supposed he deserved it but he had never listened to that part; he never had, he never would.

 _ **Amma**_ **is a word from a language I created. It means** _ **grandmother**_

 **Review, favorite, follow**


	7. Chapter 7

**Another character is showing up! She's one of my favorite characters ever! I'm just upset they butchered the other characters from her movie in season 5.**

 **Chapter 7**

News of Archie's assault rampaged through the town like a fire in dry grass. Everyone was in shock as none could see how anyone would be cruel enough to attack the kind and selfless Archie. Thankfully, his injuries had been treated and were no longer life threatening. He had been stabbed by several blades multiple times in various places on his body, including his abdomen.

"None of his organs were damaged." Dr. Whale explained, showing ultrasound and x-ray pictures of Archie's abdomen, "Either this is a miracle or the person who did this is a master in both human anatomy and weaponry."

"Did he give a description of the attacker before he fell unconscious?" Emma asked, looking over the pictures of the tests and of the injuries themselves, which were little more than a bloody and gruesome mess hiding the slices of three blades

"No." Whale answered, "But he did draw this." He handed Emma his clipboard, a sloppy hand drawn picture of some insignia attached at the top. It looked like a triangle which curved at the bottom and didn't entirely close either to the woman. She didn't recognize it, thinking it looked like something taken out of a video game. She took the drawing off the clipboard.

"Thanks." She muttered, handing the board back. "Please let me know when he wakes up." After the confirmation, Emma headed out of the hospital with Elsa. "And here I thought Storybrooke would finally get a moment of peace and normalcy."

"This town is a crossroad between realms; I'm not surprised at its lack of peace. To the library I presume?"

"Yes. We need to find out what the hell this means and get that killer before they hurt someone else." The library was not very far from the hospital. Still, their journey was hindered for a moment when woman bumped into Emma.

"S-Sorry." The woman stuttered, reaching down to grab the paper Emma dropped.

"It's okay. No harm done." Emma assured, taking the paper back, the symbol in clear sight of the woman. She heard her let out a light gasp.

"Where did you find that?" She asked, her voice soft and shy but nervous as well.

"Someone drew it." Elsa explained, feeling something unnerving about the woman.

"Did…. Did Archie draw that?" She asked, Emma catching onto something in her voice and her mannerisms.

"If you know what this means, tell us." The woman nodded. She glanced around nervously, checking to see that there was no one around before she spoke in a quiet voice.

"It's the insignia of _Liberalis Circulum_ though they're more commonly known as the Assassins Brotherhood. They are an organization of trained individuals dedicated to truth and free will but…." She paused, her expression one of absolute terror, "But they achieve it through less than ideal means. They murder whoever they think will halter the progression of ideas."

"Then why attack Archie?" Emma whispered to herself. It didn't make sense. Archie was never one to discourage ideas; if anything, he encouraged them.

"The Assassins will kill anyone working for the perpetrator but I refuse to believe that Archie would do something that would gain him a spot of their kill list. He can't be a Templar." The woman mumbled, speaking to herself but Emma still heard her, her suspicion raising with this woman.

"How do you know so much about this group?" She inquired. The woman bit her lip and removed the white glove on her left hand, revealing her missing ring finger.

"I once belonged to that group but I left because I couldn't abide to their ways anymore. I saw the heroes but I saw the monsters too. The Mentor was the only sane one among us but even he couldn't stop the Tiger."

"Tiger?" Emma asked.

"The most deadly Assassin that was ever created. She had no morals, no boundaries, and no respect for her superiors or the Creed. Mentor forced her to leave the Brotherhood when she broke all our rules but after she went on a killing rampage, they had no choice but to kill her. As far as I heard, Mentor cut off her right arm and she disappeared after that with most presuming she was dead." She glanced at the two blonde woman in front of her before hugging herself. "As you can imagine, I didn't stay for long. I just… couldn't do it anymore." Elsa smiled weakly at the woman and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's good to hear that you left when it began feeling toxic to you. You shouldn't stay in situations like that."

"Thank you." The woman gave a tiny smile but a blush quickly spread on her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I just realized that I'm wasting your time."

"No, you didn't" Emma assured, "What you told us has been more than helpful." After a brief exchange of farewells and good lucks, the three went their separate ways, Emma and Elsa to the apartment and the woman towards the park, the route to her home Emma assumed when she looked ver her shoulder.

"How is Archie? Is he alright?" Mary-Margaret bombarded her daughter with such questions and many more before she had barely set a foot into the apartment.

"He's fine." Emma spoke once her mother had finally stopped with the questions. "His life is no longer in danger and we have a better idea who attacked him."

"Who was it?" David inquired.

"We don't know." Emma answered, feeling a wave of disappointment emanate from everyone. "All we know is that he is or was a member of something called the Assassins Brotherhood. Archie drew their symbol before he passed out."

"But… But what could Archie have possible done that an Assassin would attack him?" Mary-Margaret gasped.

"That's what we're still trying to figure out and we won't have any leads until Archie wakes up." She took a breath, "Please be careful all of you; if this person will randomly attack Arche, he could attack any of you next." Everyone nodded but Emma still felt uneasy about it all. It would be inevitable that the Assassin would come for her and her family; such people always came for the heroes. Emma just hoped that this wouldn't be another forgotten blast of her past.

"So an Assassin is in town? Sounds like another adventure." Hook whispered to Emma. Despite the grim situation, it elicited a small smile from her.

"I wouldn't call a mad chase after an Assassin an adventure."

"Aye, Assassins can be tricky but they are not invincible."

"Sounds like you had a bit of a scuffle with them in the past."

"I have encountered a few of them but I was never on their bad side."

"Anything important I need to now?"

"There's not much I can tell you besides don't be on their bad side." Emma let out a tiny chuckle.

"Well you're no help."

"The Brotherhood is a secret society, love." He reasoned, "They don't give out their secrets to outsiders." Emma's mind immediately returned to the woman they had encountered before. She was a former Assassin, she could tell her all they needed to know. Until they found her though, books would be their best resource.

Later that afternoon, Emma was back at the police station, her arms filled with books and scrolls with potential information about the Assassin and the group from which they came. She had asked family to warn the others about the danger and to report sighting of him to her. Once at the station, she, along with Elsa and Killian, began scouring through the books and scrolls, finding out the scrolls were "codexes" with information about weapons and fighting techniques.

"These techniques are incredible." Killian muttered as he read a codex, "I've never seen anything quite like it." Out of curiosity, Elsa came over to the man and read the codex herself.

"This must take years to master. Amazing." She returned to the pile and grabbed a new codex, cringing at the new found information. "And this one is about how to administer poison through a hidden blade."

"This Assassin keeps getting more and more dangerous. How are we supposed to defeat an enemy with countless hidden weapons, some with the ability to administer poison, a pistol, a sword, a dagger, who is also a master of martial arts and can blend in a crowd like a chameleon?" Killian asked, dropping the scroll on the table.

"We've dealt with worse." Emma reminded him, "We'll find a way. We always do." She whispered.

No sighting of the killer for the rest of the day. It was a huge relief for Emma, if only for the assurance that they weren't some psychopath who would kill every five minutes. It was now dinner time and the family was eating their dinner quietly as there wasn't anything to talk about, at least nothing happy. Near the end, the silence was broken by several loud knock from the front door

"I'll get it." David stood up and got to the door, "Belle?"

"Sorry to bother you this late but I need to talk to Emma." Belle explained, a high degree of urgency in her voice David let her in, Emma rising from the table. "Emma, I saw the Assassin. He's close to my house." Immediately the house was back in uproar as Emma, equipped with a flashlight, and Elsa stormed out and followed Belle.

"Where did you see him?" Emma inquired, looking around at the forests surrounding Belle's home.

"Here." She explained, walking towards the left side of the building, where the forest was most dense. "I only saw him for a moment and it was hard to see in the dark but he was there. They ran off as soon as they noticed I had spotted them."

"Which way did they go?"

"That way." Belle pointed with her flashlight into the woods. Emma grabbed her pistol from the holder and armed headed into the forest, Elsa and Belle not far behind her.

"I don't think that this is a good idea." Belle voiced after traveling several minutes in the dark, "Walking around in the dark looking for a killer."

"Worse things have happened here and looking for someone is certainly not the worst of them." Belle rolled her eyes a little and they continued their way quietly. After another 10 minutes of walking, they stumbled across a small camp, the fire out with some other provisions scattered around as if the person had been in a hurry.

"This looks like it." Emma announced, starting to look around the camp for any clues. She looked into the shelter, finding nothing but a few arrows stuck in the ground.

"Emma." Belle called crouching by the fire pit, "The ashes, they're still warm." Emma held her gun up, knowing the person of the camp must still be near. A strange hum came from behind Emma. She turned around, lowering her pistol at what she saw: a small blue flame floating in the air at the edge of the camp. It was _looking_ at her and motioning with little arms to come closer. Emma came closer, hand reached out to touch it but as her fingers were about to touch the flame, it disappeared, popping up a few meters ahead and others appearing behind it, creating a path.

"What is that?" Elsa asked.

"I have no idea." Gun at the ready, Emma followed the flames, the little lights disappearing when the women got close. Barely two minutes away from the camp, the lights stopped in a clearing, it seemingly empty.

"Why would they lead us here?" Belle inquired, pointing her flashlight in various directions including high up in the trees.

"I have no idea." Emma answered. Suddenly Elsa let out a scream of fright. Someone had appeared out of the dark, their face covered by a cloak. Emma pointed her pistol while the stranger pulled out an arrow and at the speed of light, loaded it into her bow.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Emma demanded, trying to find the insignia on her clothing, unable to find it due to the darkness

"Who Ah am is none of yer concern!" The stranger replied, her voice laced with a Scottish accent. "Now get out of ma way!"

"And if we don't?" The eyes of the stranger narrowed and she shot the arrow, it missing Emma's shoulder by a hair and lodging itself into a nearby tree.

"Ma aim is true. Don't test me."

"Why don't we just take a breath and try to figure this out calmly?" Belle hastily interceded, hoping to prevent unnecessary confrontation. There was silence, Emma and the stranger staring each other down but eventually, they both lowered their weapons.

"Care to explain what you're doing her?" Emma asked once her opponent had her weapons tucked away. The woman sighed.

"Ah'm looking fer ma mum." She explained. "She was kidnapped a long time ago and Ah heard that her kidnapper was in this realm. He's called the Shadowman."

"I can't say I've heard of him."

"Dr. Facilier?" The stranger tried but all the women shook their heads. "Ah'm certain he's here."

"We can help you find him; there always is an interesting collection of characters in this town." Emma spoke. The stranger looked flabbergasted, removing her hood to reveal her bright red curls.

"Thank ye. Thank ye so much."

"You're welcome." Emma replied with a smile. "What's your name?"

"Merida."

* * *

 **Arendelle**

Whenever there was a visiting royal in Arendelle, the castle buzzed with excitement but it also meant that the staff had much more work to do. More rooms to tidy, more laundry to clean more food to cook. Queen Elsa always wanted to go up and beyond the expectation put on her for the visitor so she wanted to ensure everything was perfect. Though it was only one guest, the kitchen and all the other work areas had gone mad with labor.

As it was Gerda who told him what his job was daily, Hans saw a little of each fray. He didn't mind working in the busy areas too much as it gave him lots to do and kept his mind focused on other things and helped him ignore what others said.

The others, especially the men, loved spewing insults at him. He heard them so often by now that the insults had become meaningless to him now. On other days, they would force him to do their work on top of his own duties so he often wasn't back in bed until early in the morning, only to wake up a few hours later to start it all again. Whenever he worked, he frequently found himself returning to his dream world, a place he had shut out so long ago. He would daydream about a life where it was perfect. He was a ruler of his own kingdom, beloved by his subjects with a loving wife and children and his brothers groveled at his feet, begging his forgiveness. It was everything he ever wanted.

But such daydreams wouldn't come true. Not for him anyway because nothing ever changed. He was stuck forever in a _samsara_ , a cycle of suffering, a cycle of endless failure. _Where did it all go downhill?_ He found himself asking on occasion but he knew exactly when the cycle began: when he was seven years old. On a cold day in autumn, his mother walked out of his life for good. From there, it was just one horrible event after another. His father's new marriage, death, Arendelle, Edvard and Fredrick abandoning him, a second chance and more failure, and now, rock bottom. The only good thing about the bottom was that he couldn't sink any lower; even oceans have a bottom. He would stop opening doors now as he was never the one to walk through it.

The seasons soon turned, the leaves on the ground being covered by the white snow. Fortunately, the fjord hadn't frozen yet so the trading ships were still in use.

" _Elsa will enjoy that_." He thought as he returned to the kitchen after running some errands for Gerda around the city, coughing loudly. He shivered as he was surrounded by the intense heat from the kitchens, letting out several more coughs.

"Blast it Hans! Go cough somewhere else!" The Cook scolded at him. Hans ignored him and he went to find Gerda to let her know he was finished and hopefully get a small break, hopefully enough that he could rest a little and sleep away his flu.

"Hans! You're done quicker than I expected." Gerda chuckled when she spotted him, giving him a smile; the old woman had turned out to be a lot friendlier than she had led on at first. Hans figured she must've done it to let him know she was in charge and that he shouldn't try anything stupid. She was kinder to him than most but he wouldn't call her a friend. The only one who had that honor was Sitron.

"It wasn't very far." He answered, trying to speak as normally as he could past a sore throat. "Mr. Andersen asked me to-"He coughed loudly. "Asked me to give this to you." He handed Gerda a small book, "He said they were new stories for your family."

"Oh, I'll have to remember to thank him next time I see him." She put the book down on a nearby table and grabbed a basket, covered by a cloth. "I have one more job for you; afterwards you're done for the day. Please bring this to my grandson; you know where he is." Inside, Hans groaned. All he wanted at that moment was lie down and rest. He was sick and exhausted. Biting his tongue, Hans took the basket and nodded, immediately heading out into the cold weather towards the docks, pulling his thin coat closer to try and shut it out.

The docks was not far from the castle but it felt as though it took an eternity for Hans as nausea and dizziness hit him like an unexpected punch. Even so, he tried to ignore it, set on finishing this job so he could go to his corner and lie down.

Trying to distract himself, Hans peeked at what was in the basket. It was a pie, apple Hans hoped as that was his favorite pie flavor. Even if it wasn't apple, he had no doubt that it would be delicious; homemade pies made with a mother's touch were always the best. Gerda must've made it because her son was set to sail again and the odds that he would be back before spring was next to none. In all honesty, it made Hans a little jealous.

Upon arriving on the deck of the ship, Hans was happily greeted by the few crewmembers present, all of them asking how life was in the castle and asking him to join on of their many rowdy parties to which he politely declines. After the usual exchange, Hans headed into the captain's cabin with a little smile on his face.

"Hans! Good to see you." The captain piped, "What brings you here? Not another request to join my crew?" He teased. Hans let out a chuckle and shook his head, holding up the basket.

"Your grandmother asked me to bring this to you." He explained, his throat feeling hoarser than before. The captain took the basket with a grateful nod, his expression having changed at the sound of Hans' voice. He put the basket down on the desk and headed to the dresser next to the bed in the back, scouring through the many items.

"Here, take this for your troubles." He handed the man a woolen scarf in mint condition, the man taking it with an expression of pure awe. Hans liked the captain a lot. The man was truthful, trustworthy and much more open minded than most people in Arendelle. From the first moment, he had not once looked at Hans with scorn; he had never even remotely mentioned his past crimes in the odd conversations they had, which was more than enough for Hans to gain a degree of respect.

"Thank you." Hans croaked. He held the scarf out to the man, "But I can't take this.

"Hans." The captain chuckled, "It's nearly _Jule._ I'm not giving it to you out of pity; I'm giving it to you as a gift. And I'm not taking no for an answer." He pushed the scarf back to Hans, "Besides, you'll need it more than I do. Winters in Corona are much warmer than here." Hans nodded and put the scarf on, a small smile on his face from both the thought of the Sun Kingdom and the gift. It's funny, in the past he would've completely rejected the gift, likely stating at the same moment that he didn't need help.

"Thank you." The two exchanged smiled before Hans began coughing again. Concerned when the bout continued, the captain grabbed the flask of water he kept in his dresser and tried to give it to Hans, who pushed it away. "I'm fine." He assured but his coughing immediately became worse, collapsing to his knees when the dizziness became worse. He heaved up the contents of his stomach onto the wooden floor, unable to hear the captain calling to him and then his crew. He doesn't know how he ended up lying on the floor but he could feel the rough wood under him, the coldness sending chills through his body.

"Hans?" The captain called but the man's voice echoed and sounded muffled in his ears. "Hans!"

In his weak state, the sick man looked to the captain but he didn't see the captain.

"Edvard?" He muttered, his vision going black afterwards.

Hans was brought back from the land of the unconscious when a cold cloth was pressed to his forehead. After he had collapsed, the captain had bought him back to the castle where he now was tended to by Gerda. The woman had never seen a fever as strong as the one he was having and she hoped that he would recover. Seeing he was awake, she grabbed a cup of water, which was mixed with a little medicine and got him to drink a little.

"M-Mom?" He muttered.

" _Wonderful. He's delirious_." The woman thought sourly. She ignored the comment and tried to continue tending to him when he suddenly snatched her wrist tightly.

"Don't go. Please don't go." He begged, his voice vulnerable, sad, sincere. With a touch of motherly affection, Gerda removed his hand from her wrist, holding his hand loosely.

"I'm not leaving until you get better." She told him sternly, surprised at how freely he was speaking right now and her own reaction to it. The man seemed to relax a little at the statement.

"Father… Sigmund, Viktor… So cruel." He muttered. The mindless muttering continued, Gerda occasionally responding to them. He was spilling so much to her; he was telling her more about his life than he had ever told Anna or Elsa or herself. The mutterings seemed to have the same pattern: him begging for someone (she suspected his mother) to not leave and muttering some names, followed by saying they were cruel. She had ten names by now, all of them Hans' brothers but she knew he had twelve. Why did he never mention the other two? Were they never cruel to him?

"Gerda?" A young woman with brown hair had come up behind the elderly maid with a bowl of cold water.

"Thank you, put it next to me please." As the woman put the bowl down, Hans spotted her, a smile appearing on his face and he reached out and took her hand, Gerda certain she saw a tear in his eye.

"Henriette." He muttered, his smile never wavering, "I knew it. I-I knew it." The two women exchanged confused glances at each other, the younger thinking he had gone insane. She wormed her hand out of his grip, walking away before he could grab it again. Hans' smile immediately fell, his hand still reaching out to her. "Don't take her. Please, don't take her." He begged, a tear rolling from his eye. "Don't take her!" He sat up, shouting at the top of his lungs and trying to get out of bed. Gerda immediately tried to push him back down but he was much stronger.

"Hans! No!" She shouted when he tried again.

"I won't let you take her!" By then, several others had run in, all of them forcing Hans to lie back down. They had to hold him down until he calmed down but he never stopped muttering the same phrase.

 _Don't take her_

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	8. Chapter 8

**Before we begin, I have a message for a certain guest reviewer: I have deleted your reviews. Considering you were rude, called me names and were down right demanding, I'm not going to grace you with any answer towards "questions" you had nor will I explain why I chose the plot points I did. If you had the decency to be polite and act like a mature person, then maybe I would've. Good day.**

 **Anyway, now that that's done, enjoy the chapter folks!**

 **Chapter 8**

"Have you had any luck with the scroll?" Belle inquired after she had finished sorting the books in the fiction section. Hans looked up from the pile of books he was sorting out and shook his head.

"Not much. I was never very good at riddles; my brothers were." He grabbed a book entitled _The Red Necklace_ by someone named Sally Gardner and put it in its correct spot on the shelf. "I've figured little bits out but I can't piece it together. It's about a promise of some kind which touches one but holds two. What on earth can touch one person but hold two?" He sighed in defeat and continued with his books. Belle had stopped with the sorting of hers. While she was curious about the riddle, she was more curious about his family. He never talked much about them, the time he ever mentioned them being when they first met, but that had been very vague in details.

"How many brothers do you have?" She eventually asked. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see him stare at her, his expression likely one of surprise.

"12."

"12?!" Belle exclaimed, "And you all have the same mother?" Hans hesitated for a moment before answering,

"No. 10 were half-brothers."

"Oh."

"How about you? Do you have any siblings?" Hans inquired, finishing up with his pile and heading to the return bin to grab more books.

"No. I was an only child." Belle explained, joining him at the bin to grab the remainder of the books once he had his.

"You were lucky then." He huffed.

"What makes you say that? I was incredibly lonely as a child and I always wanted a sibling."

"Trust me, you don't want siblings." He said calmly, a tone of resentment in his voice which was hard to detect. Belle spotted it though and decided to not pry any further.

"Are you almost finished with your books?" She decided to ask. The man looked at her through the openings in the shelf.

"Nearly. I've got a few more." He looked upon the first book in his hand. It was a decent sized book and the cover was decorated with a painting of two women, the blonde dressed in a blue gown and the brunette in a white gown. The title was _Pride and Prejudice_ by Jane Austen. "Have you ever read this?" He held the book up, Belle smiling when she saw it.

"I have. Several times actually." She came around and took the book from him, "It's about a family who tries to find good husbands for five daughters. It focuses especially on the eldest daughter Jane and the second eldest Elizabeth. They're both determined to marry for love. It's a beautiful love story, definitely better than _Romeo and Juliet_."

"Romeo and who?" Belle giggled; she sometimes forgot that he wasn't from the realm.

"Another love story but it's about star-crossed lovers."

"Sounds interesting."

"It's a good story." Belle concurred, "But I find _Pride and Prejudice_ much more interesting and the characters better developed."

"How so?" Hans inquired, taking the book back from the woman.

"I think Romeo and Juliet are impulsive teenagers who have no idea what love truly is. They decide to marry after knowing each other for only one day. I'd wager that Juliet didn't even know what Romeo's favorite color was."

"How foolish." He said with a light and fake smiling, realizing how ironic and hypocritical his words were. "Marrying that quickly."

"I agree. I probably should've waited longer." Belle replied, her bright smile now gone. Hans glanced at her hand, spotting a gold wedding ring.

"You're married?" He inquired.

"Was." She corrected with a sigh. "I thought he had changed but it turned out he hadn't."

"I'm sorry." He replied, genuinely meaning the words, "Whoever he was, he is an idiot for breaking your heart and the promises that come with marriage."

"Thank you. Have you ever been married?"

"No." He answered, "I've been engaged but never married. She found out some things about me that she didn't like and broke it off."

"Like what?"

"Uh – just some things I had done. Nothing significant." Belle nodded and, thankfully, didn't pry more into the topic. Hans was grateful for it but now, his actions of the coronation were stuck in his mind. He wondered if he should've kissed Anna instead of revealing his true self to her. He wouldn't have been able to save her anyway but it wouldn't have painted a picture of him as a monster and perhaps she would've been a lot kinder to him when they returned to Arendelle. He still had no idea what had happened but the scars on his back from a flagellation made him speculate that his punishment had involved public whipping. How humiliating. When he was done with sorting the books, he looked back at _Pride and Prejudice_ and decided he didn't want to read it anymore, the topic of marriage not something he wanted to think about at that moment.

When he put it back, he was struck with a thought.

"Wait a minute." He pulled the scroll out of his jacket and opened it, reading the riddle carefully like he had a hundred times before. "It's about marriage."

"What makes you think that?" Belle inquired as she came over and looked at the words herself.

"Here." He pointed towards the last sentence. "There are many kinds of promises and oaths but how many can you name that end only with death?"

"Just marriage. _Touching one, yet holding two_ ; that must refer to the people."

"Exactly. _It is a one link chain, binding those who keep words true until death rent it twain_." Hans bit his lip in deep thought, rereading the sentence to try to make sense of it. " _One link chain_ …."

"Wedding ring." Belle announced, "The answer is wedding ring!" As soon as she stopped speaking, the writing began to glow, the two adults exchanging a proud smile as the writing morphed to reveal the next riddle.

* * *

 **Arendelle**

It was yet another chilly winter day in Arendelle. As there had been a light flurry the previous night, Hans was tasked with shoveling snow and clearing the path to the castle. Everyone else seemed to hate this job as it was physically demanding and one would at least an hour in the cold. Hans took the job, never mind that he had only recently recovered from his flu. He liked being outside, the crisp air reminding him of the days he spent at sea, the epitome of his freedom. Once outside, the cold didn't affect him that much. Gerda had given him a newer warmer coat as well as new gloves.

"I'd rather avoid treating frostbite." Was her explanation for the gift. That, alongside the scarf he got from the captain, he remained warm.

After shoveling for thirty minutes, several children came running into the courtyard, one of them initiating a snowball fight. Hans watched them for a moment, smiling from their laughter and carelessness and innocence, but then continued to work.

"Excuse me?" A little voice asked, it accompanied with a tug on his coat. Hans turned and found himself looking at a little girl, "Can I use your snow?" She pointed towards the pile he had created, it being at least 4 feet high. The man stared at her for a moment before he smiled and nodded. He put his shovel down and leaned down and whispered,

"Take as much as you like but don't tell your friends though, don't want to lose the fight because they know your little secret." The child giggled and grabbed a handful from the pile, running back to the others and managing to hit a boy in his chest with the ball. Hans tried to work and keep his focus there but he frequently found himself looking at the children, watching the little girl play and hit her friends with snow over and over.

"Impressive hand-eye coordination." He thought when the girl managed to hit another boy on the back of his head from a distance of 10 feet, Hans wagered. After watching the child hit another from an impressive distance, the man stuck his shovel back into the snow; he was almost finished and he was ready to go in and warm up, maybe have a small cup of tea.

 _Splat_

A snowball hit the back of his head, it accompanied by several gasps from the children. When he faced them, the girl who had taken some of the snow off the pile was looking down at her feet in shame. Hans approached her and leaned down so he was face to face with her.

"I entrusted you with my snow." He told her, "And you betray me. As punishment," He reached down and made a snowball, "I get to throw a snowball at your friends."

"What!?" The children screamed while the little girl giggled and grabbed her own snowball. As the others scattered for cover, Hans threw his snowball, hitting one of the boys.

"Yeah, get him!" The girl cheered, grabbing her own snowball and throwing it. Soon, the other children gained their footing again and started throwing back at Hans and the girl. The battle continued, the impeccable aim of the adult and child allowing the fight to turn in their favor. Hans was laughing boisterously, his worries completely forgotten. He threw another snowball, hitting a child; none of his friends had a snowball.

"Get him!" One of the boys shouted. The children charged at Hans all at once, three of them grabbing his legs while the others worked to push him over. Strong as he was, the grown up was powerless to stop the children and soon, he was sprawled on the ground, the children lying down on him to stop him from moving.

"Mercy!" Hans shouted when they began shoving snow into his face. "Stop!" He laughed, just barely able to avoid getting snow into his mouth.

"Never surrender!" One of them shouted, the onslaught of snow intensifying.

"Hans!" The man looked up and gently pushed the children off of him, relieved to find that the expression on Gerda's face was not anger. If anything, it was amusement. "I normally don't tolerate fooling around while working but seeing you with these children was adorable." The children all laughed while the man stared down in embarrassment. "But that's not why I'm here. The Queen wants to talk to you."

"The Queen?" He stammered out. The old woman nodded.

"You better not let her wait." Hans nodded and looked down at the children, who all looked upset that he had to leave.

"I'll come back later. Okay?" The children cheered and he watched them run off, waving as the left the courtyard. Afterwards, he headed into the castle, dropping off his winter wear by his bed before following Gerda through the hallways towards the council room. When they arrived, Hans immediately spotted Elsa seated at the head of the table but the three men sitting near her he didn't recognize. Two of them appeared to be around fifty years old and the third man looked around thirty. They were all dressed in fine clothing made from expensive fabric and the two elder men wore a ring that signified the high status of Chancellor. Hans quickly bowed, feeling a tad nervous for some reason. The feeling didn't leave him as the Queen rose from her seat and left the room, motioning to Gerda to follow her.

After the loud click of the door shutting passed, Hans only stared at the three men, who stared back with stoic faces. Seeing that he was in no position to speak, the servant remained silent, waiting for the lords to say something.

"30 years and you don't look a day older." One of the elder men commented, standing up with the help of a cane. "But I suppose being frozen for that period of time will do that to you."

"Do I know you?" Hans asked.

"Do I know you?" The other elder man, whose hair was an interesting mix of black and gray strands, chuckled. "I knew I should've had another glass of whiskey before coming here. The Little Admiral doesn't even recognize us."

"Wait…. Fredrick?" It was his brother! The old man smirked and held his arms wide open.

"Guilty as charged. You probably couldn't see that it was me because of my striking good looks."

"Please, you could scare children with your look." The other man snapped back, his response more than enough for Hans to piece together who he was.

"Edvard." His attention changed when the younger man stepped beside the elder one. "Harald." The man nodded.

"Hello, Uncle." The room became silent again, the air filled with a sense of awkwardness for Hans. Of all the people he expected to be in front of him, his brothers and his nephew were the last ones on the list. After all, they had casted him out so easily at his first trial.

"You are obviously not here for small talk so please, whatever you have to say, say it." Edvard stepped towards Hans and slapped him hard across his cheek.

"You're an idiot, Hans!" He seethed, feeling a small stab of guilt at the red handprint appearing on Hans' cheek. "I told you to not come back here! I told you to not take up our father's offer! And now look at you!"

"I didn't have a choice in the offer!" Hans retorted, ignoring the pain in his cheek, "It was take it or be executed so I took it! And I would've succeeded if it wasn't for the Snow Queen!" Edvard slapped him again.

"You would've failed anyway! Did you honestly believe that our half-brothers would think any more highly of you because of a gold object perched on your head? They would only hate you more!" He roughly grabbed Hans' hand, turning it palm up and tearing the long sleeve away, revealing the scar from his suicide attempt. "And this! I took you to be many things but a coward was not one of them!" Hans tore his hand from his grip.

"And you're still the same close-minded idiot! You honestly believe that I did that to myself? The guards attacked me and they cut my wrists to make it look like I did it to myself." He noticed the looks of shock on his family but he continued speaking, "And you think I wanted my half-brothers' admiration? I didn't want anything to do with them! The only thing I wanted was to get out of the Southern Isles and prove that I could be more than what they said I was."

"And you became a murderer in the process!"

"A fact I'm not proud of." Hans replied, the room falling silent at his confession.

"Listen," Edvard spoke after an eternity of silence, "there was another reason I came here to see you. Several reasons, actually." He took a breath, "I'm sorry that I abandoned you. I don't expect you to accept it but I wanted you to know." He then reached into his pocket, pulling forth an envelope and holding it out to his brother, spotting the hidden awe from the apology.

Hans looked down at the envelope; the parchment had no name.

"Who is this from?"

"Our mother." Fredrick answered.

"Our… Our mother? You saw her?" Edvard nodded.

"While you were frozen. She asked us to give that to you." Hans was speechless, something that he wasn't familiar with; he always knew what to say. Then again, he wasn't prepared for a situation like this. Somehow, he finally found his voice but it was only enough to utter a few words.

"Thank you." The silence engulfed them again while Hans continued to stare at the envelope, his gaze torn away from it when Edvard placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Read it carefully; maybe it can help you." And he walked out the door, Fredrick following him without a word to his youngest brother. Typical Fredrick, even more uneasy than Hans was when it came to displays of affection.

"Don't you think you should join your father and uncle?" Hans asked the man who had stayed behind. Harald shrugged.

"Maybe; I'm not exactly 5 years old anymore."

"No, you're not." Hans chuckled. "I reckon you're 37 now. You ever get married? Have children?"

"I'm in the same situation as my father." Harald replied somberly. Hans fell silent, the smallest part of him feeling sorry for his nephew. He decided to not voice that sentiment. He looked over his shoulder, finding Edvard to be standing at the end of the hallway, waiting for his son.

"I really think you should go with him."

"Okay. Goodbye." Harald walked out the room but for some reason, he stopped, turned around and went back to Hans. The man was going to tell him again to go back when his nephew embraced him. "It was good to see you." He muttered before releasing him and heading out for the final time, leaving Hans frozen in his spot from surprise.

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